


The Hero of Jofa

by Scribe32oz



Series: Tales of the Republic [3]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, The Magnificent Seven (TV)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, Canon Divergence - Star Wars Expanded Universe, Ensemble Cast, F/M, Female Friendship, Jedi Knights, Strong Female Characters, female villain
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-13
Updated: 2018-05-18
Packaged: 2019-05-06 03:45:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 58,572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14633414
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scribe32oz/pseuds/Scribe32oz
Summary: When Mary Travis, leader of the rebel base in the Territory discovers her husband Stephen maybe alive,  Mary abandons her command to retrieve her husband with the seven in pursuit, determined that he will not be a sacrifice to her responsibilities, even if she is almost certainly walking into a trap...





	1. Jofa

She was the only command officer left.

Every soldier standing alongside of her knew this was a suicide mission. The dome keeping the sea from rushing into the Central Pavilion, the capital city of the oceanic planet Jofa, was cracked. The uprising was expected following the Emperor's decree all Jofans had to submit themselves to servitude under the newly form Empire but no one expected the scale. The water breathing Jofans could mine ore at depths  beyond the reach of machinery and humans. They were peace loving and extremely attached to their home world with no wish to travel to other planets. Palpatine gave them little choice when he started conscripting them. The ,ore accurate term was forcibly abducting them before indenturing them as slaves. Jofa was no longer a free planet, Palpatine had made it a protectorate of the Empire and today was the inauguration ceremony that would put the chains of slavery on every Jofan.  

An extremist group had decided the only way to drive the Empire away was to destroy the undersea city occupied by off worlders who visited Jofa. An explosive device was planted on the thick dome protecting the city from the crushing ocean depths and following the detonation caught everyone by surprise. The damage was soon discovered to be beyond the abilities of terrified engineers to repair and at the rate it was taking for the air breathing population to reach the surface, they would be lucky if the majority managed to escape the city before it was entirely submerged.  

Mary Travis, then Lieutenant Commander Travis and the handful of Imperial officers remaining, were well aware of how vulnerable they were in this undersea terrain. Even though their aqua-suits would protect them from oceanic pressures and icy cold temperatures, the suits were cumbersome and ill suited for underwater mobility. Mary was not even sure it was possible to surface wearing them owing to decompression. The suits were good for no more than a day's worth of air although Mary did not believe anyone of them would live long enough to be troubled by that concern. 

"Listen up." She called their attention to her.

Although she found herself in this situation before, she had to offer some words of advice. She was here because her ship had brought dignitaries to the inaugural ceremonies, celebrating Imperial dominance over the Jofans, she was a bridge officer and unaccustomed to leading troops into combat like this. However, some of the soldiers before her were raw recruits who never faced odds like this and they needed reassurance. As their leader, she had to instil some measure of confidence in them that she knew what she was doing when in truth, she herself was as uncertain as they were.

"Try not to stay in the open when we become completely submerged." Mary ordered. She could only see them by their helmets bobbing in and out of the water. Submergence would come in a matter of minutes and if the Jofan Swimmers were smart, that was when they would attack. Mary was not underestimating her enemy.  

"I know that's not much but it may be the difference between life and death. The Swimmers know that to incapacitate us they have to engage us in hand to hand combat. Stay in corners and make sure your back is to a wall at all points. They can move this environment like they can fly so we've got to limit the directions they can come at us. Try to get as wide a field of vision as possible. We need to see from where they are coming. Do not, under any circumstances, allow them to get close unless you can be absolutely certain of a kill. I don't doubt they'll be using blasters but if they get close they will attempt to compromise our suits or they'll go for our breathing apparatus."  

The faces quickly disappearing under the water looked grim. Mary knew they had every reason to be. They were soldiers and they had to protect the civilians trying to reach the surface. It was never easy entering a battle already lost but Mary did not think their dying would necessarily mean they would lose. She didn't like to lose.

"Take your positions."

"Mary," Alex spoke up, taking this final opportunity. There had been little time to say much to each other in the pandemonium that followed the shattering of the dome but Alex knew as well Mary time was short and they had to take this chance to have their say, because it may not come again later. "Good luck." 

Mary took a deep breath, feeling glad and regretful Alex was here all at the same time. "To you as well Lex. Stay alive, I don't want to give your brother any bad news."

"Likewise." Alex said shortly and that was all the airtime either of them would expend on their personal issues. There was a battle to fight.

The group scattered and Mary found herself in a tight corner at one of the entrances leading to the tube port. If the raiders were coming then this would be the primary target. There were probably still stragglers in the city and Mary hoped for the sake of those caught in the rising tide that their deaths had been quick. Inside the Aqua-suit she could not feel the cold but when the water first penetrated the city, the icy temperatures had been the cause of many a death.

The ocean engulfed them as the dome was finally submerged and when Mary looked above her, she could not longer see it. All she saw in its place was a murky blue canopy swirling above her head. The Pavilion's power generator had died long ago. Fortunately the evacuation tubes that took passengers to the surface were being powered from a solar dish from above. She could see the other soldiers scattered around although they were now reduced to little more than obscure shapes in the distance. She could tell them by their lumbering movements in the brine.

Swimmers would be fast.

Suddenly, she saw a flurry of movement in the distance. In the water, the Swimmers gave off a natural luminescence common to creatures who evolving in the depths where there was little light. They moved across the air like mythical sprites, glowing as they approached. As Mary saw them approach, the combined glow of their bodies were like beacons. She could not even count how many there were but there were enough of them to illuminate the immediate area.

"How many are there?" Someone demanded throughout the com units.

"Doesn't matter." Mary ordered. "Take short controlled bursts." She said in growing urgency as the enemy approached. "Aim for the glow!"

The eruption of blaster fire under water was like a row, seismic rumble. She saw streaks of energy moving through the dark water. Some hit their targets. Others did not. The Swimmers scattered in all directions and returned to the water to its almost pitch black darkness.

"Where are they?" Another voice cried out.

The darkness was adding to their fear and Mary had to admit she was frightened too. In an instant, she saw her proverbial life flashing past her eyes. She saw everything she had worked for all her life dying in this watery grave. It made her angry. A Swimmer appeared out of nowhere and Mary fired without a second thought. The blast struck the Jofan in the chest and he spun backwards in like a Catherine wheel trailing dark blood as he disappeared.

She saw at least a dozen Swimmers converging on a soldier in the distance.

"There are too many of them! Help me!" His frantic cry came over her head set. Mary began firing at them straying from her position of safety. She watched as he tried futilely to fire at all of them before they overwhelmed him like parasites on a dead carcass. He managed to kill some of them but Mary soon heard him scream when she saw one of the Swimmer's flaying arms connecting to his body. Human blood was more viscous than Jofan and Mary saw of it streaming from his faceplate in thick, oozing globules. The serrated coral knife that killed him was protruding from his faceplate.

Mary swore under her breath and heard similar shrieks of fear and death cries emanating from her com unit. She saw another group of Swimmers conducting the same pattern of attack on another soldier in the far corner of the port. She realised at that moment, she was standing out in the open and fear gripped her then. Moving back frantically, she reached her corner in safety and knew with utter certainty she was going to die.

"Lex, are you still with me?" Mary asked breathing hard hoping her oldest friend had not become a casualty like so many others around her

 "Yeah," came Alex's response after a brief pause. Her voice was ragged and she was panting. "Barely." 

Mary let out a sigh of relief. "Hang on please." She pleaded. 

"Hey," Mary could not see Alex's wan smile but knew it was there nonetheless. "I've got to be alive if I'm going to be your first officer right?"

It was a running joke since they were at the Academy together. Alex was always content to let Mary play the master of their imaginary vessel because as Alex often said, Mary was better at it. Mary prayed silently they both lived through this to make that girlish dream a reality.

Mary chuckled. "Yes. You and me on warship, making the space lanes safe for the glory of the Empire." 

The glory of the Empire seemed a lot less important when the carnage continued for the next four hours. 

Occasionally, they would hear reports from above that the evacuation was almost complete. Officers who tell them they would just have to hold on for a little longer before help could come. Mary listened to these reports with little notice. Like everyone else under water with her, she had other things to concern her. The convergence tactic being employed by the Swimmers was cutting through them with devastating accuracy. It occurred to Mary the Swimmers did not mind the risk of losing a few of their own just to kill one Imperial uniform.  

They hated the Empire  _that_  much.

Finally, after what seemed an eternity, a captain informed Mary and the remaining security officers the entire population was evacuated and they should leave the area immediately.

"All right," she spoke into her com unit. "Everybody to the tubes!"

"I told you we'd make it!" Alex said gleefully.

"You were always too optimistic." Mary grinned. "Get to the tubes, I'll see you topside."

She saw the few Aqua-suits left, stir from their hiding places. Their number was sickening small but she was glad Alex was among them. She counted no more than a dozen Imperial security soldiers, if that. When this had begun, there had been more than a hundred of them. Mary forced herself not to think of how many were lost. They managed to save the people in the city and the dead would see their sacrifice was not been in vain.

Alex ushered a few younger officers into the tubes as per Mary's orders and though she had complained, Alex begrudgingly acquiesced to Mary's order that she go up with that initial batch. Mary knew her reasons were entirely personal but she did not care. Steven was not going to lose her and his sister in the same battle. When the second group proceeded towards the tubes to evacuate, Mary saw the familiar glare of luminescent bodies moving towards them at rapid speed.

"Take cover!" She shouted but knew that was not going to be enough.

The Swimmers had given them a short respite in order to call for reinforcements and as they closed in on the remaining Imperial soldiers, they intended to overwhelm their prey by sheer numbers. Mary started firing blindly into the glowing school of Swimmers coming at her with blasters and knives. She barely missed being hit by a bolt of stray enemy fire, but fortunately the blasts moved slower through water. The others were screaming and crying out as they went down and Mary kept her finger trained on the trigger, firing at anything that came at her.

She did not know if she was the last one standing,  aware that some officers had made it to the tubes before the final attack but in the end, when their voices became silent, she knew she was alone.

Not without a fight! She thought to herself, gritting her teeth and flexing her fingers around her gun. "Do you hear me! I am not going to go quietly!" She shouted into her com unit even though no one could hear her.

Neither Imperial or Swimmer.

When they came, they came in large number and they swarmed around her. Mary was no longer aiming, she was firing blindly. Her gun was starting to feel warm and with a sinking feeling she knew she would have to stop shooting like this or the weapon would go into overload. There was a moment of clarity, when she saw a white shape swim right up to her. She swung her blaster rifle at him but it was too late. The flash of blade came down just as she pulled the trigger.  

The blast sent him spiralling backwards but not before the blade tore into the material of the Aqua-suit and connected with flesh. She felt white hot pain slash through her body. The agony was exquisite and she was conscious of her gun floating from her fingers and a rising cloud of red before her face that was her own blood. Icy water swirled into the suit immediately through the opening. She felt icicles of cold tearing at her flesh as she staggered away, unable to control the pain or stop from crying out.  

Mary staggered away in a cloud of blood. She could not see through the murky redness that was her lifeblood. After a second, she dropped to her knees and tried unsuccessfully to seal her breached suit but that too was impossible. Her body was staring to feel numb and the water had forced all the oxygen from her helmet. She closed her eyes as the water entered her mouth and her nose. Her body had enough strength left for her to react to the taste of salt on her tongue. She panicked as it entered her lungs not realising her life was over already. Her body was simply unaware of it.  

Not like this! She thought as the black started to overwhelm her conscious mind.  

I DON'T WANT TO DIE LIKE THIS!

* * *

Out of the one hundred and nine security soldiers who remained to protect the evacuation of Central Pavilion, Mary and Alex became two out of fifteen officers to survive what was soon known as the Jofan Uprising. She might have been counted as one of the dead too if it were not for Alex who dragged her to the surface when she discovered Mary did not follow her up the tubes. Alex returned to find Mary whose body was exuding blood clearly enough for Alex to spot her. Fortunately the cold had slowed things down long enough for Alex to get Mary to safety.  The same could not be said about the others. 

For Mary's part in the valiant defence of civilians during uprising, she was promoted to Commander and given a medal. The Imperials, rarely having a bonafide hero in their ranks were quick to seize the good public relations opportunity.

They started calling her the Hero of Jofa.


	2. Alex

It always surprised Mary when she remembered how just how young JD Dunne actually was.

It was easy to forget the young man's age when one considered all the things he did for the Alliance ever since he stumbled inadvertently into its membership. These days, the fresh faced youth who was barely past his teenage years was co-pilot to Buck Wilmington's  _Rogue_  and spent most of his time learning how to fly under the expert tutelage of the best star pilot in the fleet. Since taking on that role, the young man had seen more action in the past months than most veterans did in a year. Although it was hard to imagine him as a farm boy who fancied himself a champion pod racer from the planet Odete, at moments like this when the atmosphere was calmer without the charge of some encroaching danger, it was possible to see just how green he was.

Mary saw him fidgeting in his seat and suppressed the urge to smile. He was wearing the mustard colours of the Alliance uniform and though it suited him well, JD did seem entirely comfortable with it. The young man kept pulling at his collar intermittently and Mary had the impression that part of his anxiety had to do with the fact that he was in private audience with her. She knew that like Chris, she had engendered some measure of hero worship from the boy and like Chris, Mary felt just as uncomfortable about it. However, JD was young and such infatuations would pass in due time.

In truth, Mary had asked JD here for a very specific reason. She had seen his prowess in a ship and though he lacked experience, he was a good pilot. Better than good actually, in a few years he would more than be capable of giving Buck a run for his money if not surpass his teacher entirely. However, he had to start gaining experience from  _somewhere_  and while Buck continued his teachings with JD being his co-pilot, Mary wanted to supplement that training with something more direct.

"Relax JD." Mary said easing back into her chair. "You're not in trouble."

"I'm not?" He stammered. Some of the nervousness in his eyes faded away.

"No," she shook her head. "Actually, I have something of a proposition for you."

"A proposition?" He sat up in the plasteel chair and tried to appear deliberate as opposed to just jittery.

"Yes," she stood up for her chair and started pacing the space between it and the window. "JD, since you've been here, you've been an invaluable help to us."

"Thank you Sir." He answered, truly shocked by the compliment. "It's an honour..."

"You've been a friend and a loyal member of the Alliance and I know it can't have been easy for you because you were sort of thrown in at the deep end of all this."

JD could not deny that at all. When he had left Odete, he was pursuing a career as a pod racer and supposed a tiny part of him would always wonder what he might have accomplished had he continued on that path. However, he had no regrets about the course he had chosen for himself. He was a member of the Rebel Alliance and co-pilot to one of the greatest star pilots in the galaxy, not to mention he had friends who would have little hesitation dying for him if necessary. It was a good trade for his boyish dreams and one he could live with quite easily.

"It has been a little hard," JD admitted honestly. It would be foolish to lie when it was the truth. "But I don't have any regrets."

"Good," Mary turned to him and smiled, her hands placed behind her back and appeared very much like Commander Travis now. "I want you to head up a crack fighter squadron that I will be initiating. I've already spoken to Buck and he thinks you'll be ready in a few months to take it on. I'm just letting you know ahead of time, when I give you the commission."

"Me?" JD's expression was worth framing for its utter astonishment. "You want me to head up a squadron?"

"Yes," Mary nodded. "You're the best new pilot I've seen in a long time, JD. Buck knows it and I know it. I've seen what you can do in a gunnery turret and I don't think there's  _anyone_  in this base that can match you for sheer speed in that department. You're green, I know that and that's why we're having this discussion but I would like you to head up the Outrider squadron."

"Outrider squadron?" JD stammered although he liked the name a lot.

"It was Buck's suggestion," Mary informed promptly. "The nature of what that squadron will be required to do will be very much out of the norm. More and more, the Empire is solidifying its position on the non-human worlds. We cannot right all the wrongs it carries out but we may be able to help on a smaller scale. Outrider squadron will be required to do that. Small, surgical aerial attacks and reconnaissance. You will be the leader of Outrider squadron to carry out such missions. Do you accept?"

JD was still too flabbergasted by the news but he managed a mute nod. "Yes Sir."

"Excellent," Mary accepted his answer and turned away towards the window, continuing to speak. "The position will come with a promotion of course. You'll be elevated from Lieutenant Second class to full lieutenant, with all the entitlements that come with that rank."

Mary looked over her shoulder and was certain that her words had become lost in the stars presently twinkling inside his eyes. She did not mind. There were not many days she liked her job or her command but today was an exception. 

* * *

 

Vin took a deep breath and tried again.

The collection of metal parts in front of him were nothing out of the ordinary considering what their end result would look like once he was done putting them together. He was used to making repairs on his ship when the  _Tracker_  required it but this scattered collection of nodes, kyber crystals, steel casings and power cells made him question his ability to do fine work. Of course, there was no question of not doing it either, this was a test. He was now an apprentice.

Vin paused at the thought. Apprentice, at  _his_  age. If anyone asked him what he did and he answered apprentice only to have them point out he was a mite too old for that, he would shoot them with no difficulty whatsoever. There was a part of Vin Tanner that still could not understand how he had come to be in the position he now found himself. A month or more ago, he was a bounty hunter and a rather good one at that. Now weeks down the track and he was calling himself a Jedi Apprentice.

Sometimes, he wished his life were simple again.

 _Simple but lonely_ , an inner voice reminded and Vin had to begrudgingly admit that though he missed the sanity, he did not miss the loneliness. He had friends and to his greatest surprise, he had discovered he was an idealist at heart even though the years a bounty hunter had eroded much of it away. He believed in the Alliance and what it was doing to fight the Empire. He had discovered he was a part of an ancient and noble tradition and from his humble beginnings, Vin could not deny it was a nice feeling to be apart of something greater than himself. He had undergone the rigorous training under Master Yoda's tutelage and Chris had taken him on as a  _padwan_  learner or in short, apprentice. However, to really begin his life as a Jedi apprentice he would have to accomplish one more test.

The construction of his own light sabre.

Thus Vin found himself in the middle of the a work bench in the hangar bay where Alliance technicians often used the space to build things, repair parts and other varied personal projects. At this time of the day, it was rather quiet and the more complex tools required to build the device were available for use. He remembered the Yoda's instructions how to build the thing and was confident he could do it. Taking a deep breath, Vin told himself to _do_ , not _try_ , Yoda's words echoed in his mind even while he repeated the thought. Breathing out, he remembered the exercises Yoda drilled into his head. He felt the calm seep into his body and was prepared to begin, extending his hand towards the tool waiting for him.

"Aw hell, is it your turn now?" Buck Wilmington's voice boomed in his ear and shattered the calm with the effect of a rock being flung in the center of a serene pool.

Vin groaned inwardly and looked up at the pilot whose expression and manner indicated he was not happy when he sat down at the bench and slammed a huge chunk of finished metal on the surface. Vin recognized the part as one fitting the ignition systems for a Corsair model freighter and ascertained quickly the  _Rogue_  must need some maintenance. Still Buck's manner indicated it was not just his ship  responsible for his foul mood.

"My turn to what?" Vin asked with a drawl, certain he was going to get nothing done with Buck in this condition and in such close proximity.

"To build one of those things." Buck muttered as he produced his toolbox and started taking apart the damaged component. "I remember when Chris had to do it. I don't think I ever heard a man cuss and swear that badly. The Jedi he was learning from at the time, Jan Pallas almost took to him with his own light sabre."

"You're kidding me." Vin chuckled, unable to imagine Chris as an impatient youth.

"Thanks a lot Buck." Chris Larabee declared as he joined them. "Remind me to tell JD embarrassing incidents from _your_ past." The Jedi gave him friend a look.

"So your master didn't want to kick your butt?" Vin asked Chris with a little smile.

"No," Chris shrugged and knew Vin could tell he was lying, especially when a little smirk crossed his face, indicating otherwise. "Maybe just a little." He laughed before regarding Buck's whose emotions were intense enough for Chris to read very clearly. "You trying to fix that?" Chris glanced at the part in his hands the pilot was busily trying to take apart.

"Yeah," Buck grumbled. "I'm trying to fix it."

"It might be easier to just go get a replacement." Vin pointed out.

"Well maybe I just don't want to throw it out." Buck snapped. "Sure its old and its not what it used to be but is that any reason to just throw it out and start again? I mean what is it with people today that they're just so used to discarding things instead of trying to make it work again."

Vin and Chris exchanged brief glances.

"Hey take it easy," Vin retorted. "It's just a power converter."

"It's not just a damn power converter!" Buck roared. "It starts with a power converter, next thing you know, you're moving onto the whole ship, then people. Friends, husbands and then ex-husbands, and then you end up with some new guy who is nothing like what you ought to be having in the first place."

"We still talking about a power converter?" Vin looked at him quizzically.

"You two aren't married any more Buck." Chris said with a sigh, knowing perfectly well what was eating at Buck Wilmington so. In his entire life, there were only things that could get to Buck with such intensity. One, was any harm coming to his friends. The pilot would react like a rancor protecting her cubs when it came to the safely of those he considered his friends. The other reason and the one most relevant to Buck's present mood, was Inez Recillos.

"Ah," Vin nodded suddenly understanding and muttered under his breath at Chris. "Sorry, I missed that one."

"Who's talking about Inez?" Buck barked back but his response was defensive and therefore very telling. "I wasn't talking about Inez! I mean so what if she wants to take up with an Imperial officer? I mean Ezra is all right of course, if you like that smooth as silk, all gentlemen and charming kind of guy. I mean if that's what she wants, I couldn't care less."

"Obviously," Chris drawled sceptically.

"Come on Buck, you haven't been married to her for a long time and she's a beautiful woman. How could you think she wouldn't have callers? And she could do worse." Vin pointed out. "Ezra's an Imperial officer. She's in danger enough as it is with what she does with the Alliance, he could really take the heat off her."

"It's his putting it on her I'm afraid of." Buck growled.

"Buck," Chris stared at his friend critically mostly because the Jedi cared about Inez too and what he sensed in Ezra Standish for the woman was not some sordid tryst. The Imperial officer genuinely cared for Inez. "You have no right to feel this way. You certainly have not been celibate while you've been a single man again, you cannot expect Inez to do the same and Vin's right, she could do worse than Ezra." 

Buck said nothing for a few seconds but Chris could tell his words had sunk in even thought it was not voluntarily. In truth, he suspected that a part of Buck would always remain a little in love with Inez. While they had been married, their relationship burned hot like twin suns. Theirs was always an intense relationship, Chris recalled, hot torrid and definitely the kind that kept a man on his toes.

Before Sarah, even Chris found himself envying his old friend a little and could well understand how it had been so easy for Buck to remain faithful to Inez even though he was a consummate ladies man for as long as Chris had known him. Inez took Buck's breath away literally. For a man who was accustomed to being swept off his feet, it was Inez who had done most of the sweeping when they first met and Chris was amazed to see his friend fall completely and utterly in love with the woman, like she was his first love.

In some ways, Chris believed she was his  _only_  love.

"I know you're right." Buck responded softly. "It just feels strange to see them together." What he did not say was it hurt to see Inez looking the same way at Ezra that she once used to look at him.

There was a gentle pause when suddenly another voice entered the mix, full of exuberance and that the unfailing quality to pick up any grim mood he might have had.

"Buck!" JD Dunne hurried towards the men at the table wearing a wide grin on his face.

Buck did not have to guess but assumed that the boy had come from his meeting with Mary. Despite his ill feelings about Ezra and Inez, the smile of happiness on JD's face was enough to lift his mood considerably. "Hey there kid."

"You dog!" JD punched him in the shoulder playfully. "You knew! You knew all this time and you didn't tell me!"

"Hey I'm only a apprentice Jedi, I don't know, tell me." Vin spoke up.

"You aren't an apprentice until you build your light sabre." Chris turned to Vin and remarked playfully. "Best get to it."

"Real funny," Vin gave Chris a defiant smirk before returning to JD who was bursting to tell everyone his news. "What's up JD?"

"Mary offered me a commission." JD exclaimed as if that ought to explain everything and then realised only Buck knew about the yet to be formed Outrider squadron.

"We knew that." Vin remarked. "2nd Lieutenant right?"

"No," JD answered eagerly. "First Lieutenant and my own squadron!"

"Your own squadron!" The former bounty hunter exclaimed. "Aren't you a little young?"

"For now yeah," Buck responded before JD could, ruffling the boy's hair like a proud father. "But its going to take some time to build these ships and by then I think we can be counted on to see to it that JD here gets a fine education."

"Just don't ask Vin to teach you how to build light sabres." Chris deadpanned.

"I'm going to build this thing to kick your ass with it." Vin retorted before both men chuckled.

"I can't believe it." JD sighed with pleasure even though his ears were still ringing from the news. "I'm going to be a squadron leader."

"Sure beats pod racing huh?" Buck grinned. "You deserve JD. Congratulations."

"Yeah," Vin responded. "You're gonna give those Imperials a run for their money."

"You'll do good JD," Chris added and JD smiled bashfully, unaccustomed to the outpouring of compliments from such accomplished men. He never believed his life could change so drastically the minute he decided to leave Odete. It was more than a dream come true.

"Ship's coming." Buck remarked as a small craft flew into the hangar bay, cruising leisurely into the landing pad, the roar of its engines having lowered to a slight hum whilst inside the confined space. With the termination of its engines, the ship was seized by power internal tractor beams and brought to rest on the floor of the hanger.

"That's the new Y-Wings?" Vin asked no one in particular. "Nice little fighter. Look at the armaments on the front of that thing. It's been modified beyond specs."

"Engines has been tampered with too. Look at the extra booster. That baby is fast." Buck said with more than a hint of admiration.

"I didn't know anyone important was coming in." JD muttered.

The canopy of the small craft slide backwards and a little figure clothed entirely in black leather emerged from the cockpit. The figure hugging body suit left no question as to the gender of the occupant and when she pulled off the white helmet covered with the rebel insignia, jet collared hair spilled over her shoulders. The woman was beautiful with exotically bronzed skin. She dropped down the ladder onto the floor like shyla cat landing on the soft pads of its feet. She stood up straight and shook her hair back; the dark strands cascading around her slender neck.

"Wow." JD responded.

"Oh please say she's joining up." Buck remarked already forgetting about his earlier discussion regarding Inez.

The woman's gaze swept around the room searching and came to rest in their direction. Her soft brown eyes came into contact with JD Dunne's. Upon catching sight of him, she strode towards them, giving the men opportunity to admire the fluid motion of her shapely figure coming towards them. Vin Tanner found himself swallowing thickly while JD was gawking. Buck was already preparing to go into charm mode while Chris was able to admire her without looking like a complete idiot.

"Well hi there darling." Buck greeted smoothly. "What brings you here?"

She noted him with an amused expression before turning to JD. "Lieutenant?"

"Yes ma'am?" JD reacted instinctively, stunned she chose him to speak to instead of the others around him but more then that, recognizing the air of authority in her voice.

"I am Commander Alexandra Styles, I want to see Commander Travis immediately. You will take me there." It was not a request.

"I can take you." Buck spoke up, not about to let a tasty morsel slip past him.

She let her gaze run over the pilot and then took a briefer study of Vin before responding to Buck's invitation. "I seriously doubt that, Captain."

"Well you never know until you try." Buck returned, always liking a challenge.

"I'll just live with the mystery." She said aloofly and then looked at Vin once more, again with the briefest hint of contact. "Lieutenant." She raised her voice again. "I am waiting."

"Yes Sir." JD swallowed and gave his three friends a look to pray he returned safely. "Right away."

As she strode away, Chris Larabee could only stare after her, sensing dark emotions and even darker thoughts regarding Mary Travis and though he refused to pry any more than that, he sensed that were standing on the periphery of disaster.

And Mary liable to go over the edge.


	3. Ransom

Ezra Standish was surprise to find that for the first time in his life, he was content.

True, he was almost a spy for the Rebel Alliance and should his complicity in their affairs ever be uncovered, a court martial would be the least of his worries. However, on the other hand, he was stationed at a place where he was absolute master. He had his own beverage mug and in and out tray on his very own desk where every morning his trust adjutant Claire would bring his mug with hot cider and hand him reports to peruse. His evenings were spent in Cordoba teaching the locals the commanding officer of the Cordoba outpost also was quite capable of playing a savage game of sabaac. However lately, he was keeping company with an amazing woman and in comparison with the rest of his life until now, this was about as good as it was got.

His relationship with Inez was still rather casual. Though their affection and attraction for each other was intense, neither were strangers to the matters of the heart and were sensible enough to proceed with caution. They took dinner together whenever she was available to leave the Four Corners Tavern and enjoyed in each other's company as they took in the scant nightlife afforded by Cordoba City. Ezra did not mind, he enjoyed being with her and he liked to think she felt the same way about him. Oh it was not true love, both of them were too jaded for that but their relationship was warm and passionate and their intimacies were becoming more heated with each meeting. He was also glad his station as Commander of the outpost ensured the local Imperial authorities gave her a wide berth, though it was never required for him to make that statement verbally.

His relationship with Inez also had the added advantage of offering a suitable explanation for all his visits to Four Corners, which was the center of rebel activity on Cordoba. Fortunately, this was a fact known only to him at this point for Inez was smart enough to keep her involvement low key and those who used her bar for their rebel activities were also similarly mindful of drawing suspicion to their oases in enemy territory. It was at Four Corners, Ezra was able to catch up regularly with Nathan Jackson, his oldest friend in the world and the rest of the men who had become just as close to him in the short time he had known them. Ezra knew one day he would be cornered into making a choice between his friends and his career and knew when the time came, he would have little difficulty making the transition. 

For the time being however, that day was still some distance away and Ezra picked up his cup of warm cider and took a deep sip before he turned towards the daily reports from all department heads under his command. He had just gotten through the report informing him what ships were scheduled to arrive at the space port when the doors to his office slid open and Claire hurried through the doors looking quite anxious indeed. Although Claire was unaware of his involvement in the Rebel Alliance, she herself had some affiliations with the group. Her husband was First Officer to the  _Purgatory_ , the bane of Imperial ships in local space whenever it was under the direct command of Mary Travis. While Claire did nothing to undermine the Empire or use her position to aid the rebellion, Ezra knew she would die protecting her husband if it ever came down to it. He hoped if the situation arose, she would do the same for him. 

"My dear, you look positively perturbed." Ezra remarked casually, setting down his cup on the desk. "Whatever is the matter?"

"You'll look just as perturbed when you read this." She retorted handing him a data pad.

"What is it?" Ezra sat up in his chair as he took the pad from her hand and studied it.

It took only a brief glimpse for him to memorize most of the text, a talent acquired from his sabaac playing skills. However, fast or not, the content clearly indicated Claire had reason to be so concerned and judging what was coming at him, so did he.

"She gets here tomorrow." Ezra eased back into his chair.

"What do we do Sir?" Claire looked at him in question, hoping he would have an answer.

"What can we do Lieutenant?" Ezra returned her gaze. "She has been appointed by Coruscant. There is no higher court I can appeal to."

What Ezra did not mention it was most likely his new First Officer Lieutenant Julia Pemberton was  appointed to her position by Darth Vader himself. Even though Ezra had saved the dark Jedi's life, he was not fooled into thinking that Vader would show any gratitude. Vader had stated most emphatically he believed Ezra to be guilty of concealment. He supposed this was how the Sith Lord sought to find out. Although this was somewhat of an annoyance, Ezra knew he could get around any agent send to spy on him. Mostly because he knew how to be far more devious than any Jedi could possibly imagine, having learned from an exper, his mother Maude Standish. 

"So we're just going to accept this?" Claire looked at him sharply.

"Unless you have some brilliant plan that will change Lord Vader's mind, for that is the one who has appointed her to this position, I am going to do exactly that."

"Vader?" She gasped with dismay. He was right, there was no way to avoid this.

"Vader." Ezra nodded in affirmation. "I guessed he was not entirely convinced I had the Empire’s interest at heart."

"He thinks you’re a rebel?" She asked with a hushed voice. Just the suspicion could ensure that Ezra be erased from existence.

"He does not know what I am which is part of the reason for his anoyance I believe," Ezra responded. "It was probably why he dispatched the coming Lieutenant Pemberton."

"So what are we going to do?" She looked at him, waiting for him to find some way out of their predicament. In truth, he did not have one and he had no wish to be here to greet one of Vader’s spies when they arrived. He considered his options and decided perhaps it was time he made himself scarce for a a few days. He had more than enough furlough accumulated to take some time away. In the meantime, he could let the spy cool her heels and fidget awaiting for his arrival or if he threw enough breadcrumbs in her way, it might send her on a wild goose chase for a few weeks and keep her out of his hair.

"I think I need to go see Inez." Ezra stood up abruptly from behind his desk.

"Now?" Claire exclaimed in disbelief. "Sir we have a crisis coming to us in a less than 21 hours, we need to formulate some kind of battle plan."

"It's only a spy Lieutenant," Ezra gave her a look. "Not an invasion. There is nothing here that would incriminate either of us, lest there is something you need to tell me about?" He cocked his brow at her.

"Of course not!" Claire sputtered almost mortified by the notion. "But we need to think this out!"

"No we do not," He said breezily as he sat his cap on his hat and adjusted into position. "I need to think this out. You need to go off and prepare the so far unused first officer’s quarters as well as an office for the new lieutenant. I will be back later."

"Captain!" Claire tried once more to talk some sense into her commanding officer.

"Lieutenant," Ezra paused at the door long enough to add. "Trust me. I shall handle this."

With that he left the room and his anxious adjutant to panic without him. In truth, he had no real plan other than to disappear for a week or two for he was in simply too good a mood to put up with Lieutenant Julia Pemberton. Ezra thought he would never hear himself say this but at the moment, he needed to go visit with his mother.

* * *

Josiah Sanchez strode into the hangar bay shortly after the new visitor to the rebel had made her departure with JD Dunne to find Mary Travis, leaving Chris with a deep sense of foreboding looming on the horizon. That feeling was further reinforced with the trouble expression on Josiah's face not to mention the dark stormy emotions emanating from the former Republic Senator. As a rule, Chris did not pry into the thoughts of his friend although he sometimes sensed strong emotions, whether or not he wished to do so.

"Is she here already?" Josiah asked as he reached the table where Vin Tanner had more or less given up the idea of building his light sabre, at least for the moment.

"You mean tall, dark, wears leather like it was painted on?" Buck Wilmington asked.

Josiah rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Yes, Commander Styles. Is she here?"

"She’s gone to see Mary." Chris quickly informed, sensing the urgency in the matter even if the others did not.

"Damn." Josiah hissed. "I was hoping to reach her before she got to Mary."

"What’s going on?" Chris asked, rising from his seat. "Who is this Commander Styles?"

Josiah took a deep breath as he collected his thoughts. There was no point keeping anything secret from a Jedi because if Chris wanted to, he could learn the truth with far more speed than Josiah was capable of hiding. Besides, Chris was the only person in this base who could match Mary Travis for will, if worse came to worse, he might be able to help avoid a situation from getting too much out of hand.

"She’s a deep cover operative. Has been out in the field for the last year or so." Josiah explained. "Extremely high clearance. She also happens to be Mary’s sister in law."

"Sister in law?" Vin Tanner remarked with more interest than normal. "She’s Stephen’s sister?"

"Half sister." Josiah responded quickly and moved on. "That’s not the problem. Two days ago, she sent a report to Alliance high command of some information she’s uncovered. Now she transmitted her message on scrambler frequency and headed straight for here to see Mary."

"What’s the message?" Buck asked, guessing accurately it had to be something big for Josiah to be so worried and have an intelligence operative coming in from her current assignment to deliver it to Mary personally.

"Stephen Travis is alive."

Chris Larabee took the new surprisingly well considering a thousand unspoken hopes, hidden so deep away inside him that he dared not even admit its existence, suddenly shattered like a plate glass window into a thousand fragments. He hid his disappointment well and told himself he was being foolish, all in the space of the seconds it took for Josiah’s words to register. Mary and he had a relationship that was little more than friendship, he had no right to feel the pangs of jealously assaulting him upon realising that Stephen, Mary’s husband was very much alive.

"Woah," Buck whistled softly. "That’s big Josiah."

Buck did not trust himself to say anything to Chris, knowing the Jedi would not take well-intentioned platitudes well. Chris remained stone faced, revealing nothing which only proved to Buck just how much pain he was feeling at this sudden news. It was no secret there was something developing between the Jedi and the Rebel leader. However, it was only in its beginnings and if Mary’s husband were alive then it had died this minute. Chris did not fall for women frequently. The only woman he had ever remembered the Jedi caring about this much was Sarah and now Mary. Buck knew that though Chris did not say it, he cared for the lovely woman they all admired.

"How?" Vin probed further, knowing Chris would not ask even though he wanted to. Vin was just aware as Buck about how Chris felt about Mary, if not better because they were both Force adept. As always, the former bounty hunter was tuned into the Jedi’s mental state and suspected Chris had a great deal of personal feelings in this matter because when Josiah had revealed his news, Vin found his senses slamming straight into a wall barring Chris’s emotional state from him.

"We always believed Stephen was killed as a warning to Mary when her loyalties started to become suspect," Josiah explained. "Billy was with him when it happened. Stephen had the housekeeper take the boy out of the house while he stalled the assassins. I think the plan was to kill Stephen and take Billy as hostage as a reminder of what she  _still_  had to lose."

"Real charitable," Buck said with open disgust. "I’m guessing that didn’t happen."

"No," Josiah shook his head sadly. "The housekeeper got Billy away to safety but by the time we got back to the house, there was nothing left. It was completely destroyed.. If there was a body, it was just a vaporised."

"Good way to hide it if they didn’t kill him." Vin remarked.

"Exactly," Josiah agreed because that was precisely what had happened. "Apparently Styles stumbled onto the information the attackers were not Imperials. It was the Empire that commissioned the killing with the belief Billy would be brought to them but the actual assailant was a bounty hunter, named Glorith Daal."

"I know her." Vin declared automatically. "She’s not a contract bounty hunter." He stated. The Bounty Hunters Guild was a small select group and unless you had the sanctioning of the Guild, you could not operate. Doing so without permission was a quick way to get a vibro-blade between the ribs. The advantage of being in such an organisation was the fact each member was known to one another. "She works for Black Sun."

"Well apparently Glorith doublecrossed the Empire because she didn’t hand Stephen over to them, she handed them to Black Sun." Josiah concluded.

"Ah hell." Vin swore under his breath and it was with enough fear to make the other stare at him. Vin was the one with the connections to the seamier side of galactic underworld. As a former bounty hunter, he had the chance to work for some of the most dangerous gangsters in the business, like the Hutts for instance. However even Vin knew well enough to stay away from the likes of the Black Sun and its leader, Laurel Chase. "Chase has got him?"

"You know Laurel Chase?" Josiah asked with surprise. The information the Alliance had on the woman was sketchy at best but one thing was clear; she was very dangerous and agents in the field were instructed to approach her with extreme caution if at all.

"I know her by reputation. She’s not the like the Hutts at all. Likes having talent that’s female. There are no men in Black Sun all and she is very selective about what she dabbles in. Mostly runs addictive substances to the core worlds. Spice, Crystals and a little pick me up which is apparently all the thing on the fight circuits, Fire. Makes anyone who takes it real strong and aggressive. I had to bring in a bounty hooked on the stuff once and it took just about everything I had to bag him. Her power base is mostly in the Corporate Sector. That’s the only reason why Nal Hutta hasn’t made a run for her yet, she’s too far from the Hutt sphere of influence."

"Why would she want Stephen?" Buck muttered, asking no one in particular because it did not make sense that a gangster would have any interest in the husband of a rebel leader.

"Well think about it," Chris spoke for the first time. "He was supposed to be taken with Billy. The bounty hunter didn't finish the job she was contracted to do and the Empire doesn’t forgive mistakes."

"That’s true." Vin agreed. "They were more than ready to put a price on my head just because I refused to bring in Chris. For something like that Glorith would have barely got out with her skin. So instead she brings Travis to Chase."

"She brings him to Chase who keeps him for a year." Buck was still puzzled.

"Well now she’s asking the Empire ten million credits for him." Josiah continued.

"Why now?" Vin mused. "Why after a year?"

"That’s easy," Chris answered, his insides hollowing at the top. "Mary wasn't a rebel then, just suspected of it. She’s proven herself to be able commander against any Imperial in the entire Star Fleet. She destroyed an Imperial base at Doldur 3 and took out an Imperial Star Destroyer. She’s sitting on top of the Imperial wanted list, almost as highly placed at Mon Mothma or Bel Iblis. We all know what they’d do get their hands on her."

"So Chase was hanging on to him," Vin nodded in understanding.

  
"Yeah," Chris said grimly. "She was waiting to drive the price up."

* * *

When Mary Travis instructed whoever it was at her door to come into her office, she certainly did not expect to see a face from the past, nor one she held with such affection. She had expected it was a junior officer who needed yet another report signed, another requisition order filled, instructions from high command giving her more grim statistics of Imperial cruelty, everything except the face who actually appeared before her. It was a face that reminded her of simpler times when dreams did not leave her with the taste of ash in her mouth, and youth was something not to be looked at with regret and yearning.

"Alex!" Mary fairly squealed in delight upon seeing the face of her oldest and dearest friend, emerging from her desk with such un-commander like behaviour that JD Dunne who had escorted Commander Styles to her office was still rather stunned. He did not normally think of Mary as a woman even though the young man would have to be just about blind not to notice. Mary was a very beautiful woman but she was also the leader of local rebel base, the infallible commander who could take on Star Destroyers and  _win_. It was not often that he saw the person underneath all that.

"Hey!" Alex stepped away from JD and crossed the floor in seconds to meet Mary in the middle of her office in a warm hug. Both women laughed happily at seeing each other again, their mutual joy evident on their faces and left JD wondering what the connection between the two were.

"JD," Mary turned to their unwitting observer when she finally slipped out of the embrace. "This is my sister-in-law, Alexandra Styles."

"That's Alex to you, kid." She smiled, realizing the young man was one of Mary's friends and thus was deserving of her consideration.

"Hi Alex." JD greeted her, somewhat uneasy about calling her by such an informal name when it was only a moment ago  she ordered him to take her to Mary's office with all the rank and protocol deserving of one in her position.

"I think I scared him a little," Alex threw him a wink filled with playful mischief and suddenly the image of the stern commanding woman began to fade for something more relatable. It was obvious that she was just as delighted at seeing Mary again.

"Alex is a good friend JD," Mary explained barely able to contain her lovely smile. "We were at the Academy together."

"Oh," he nodded mutely and felt more certain than ever he ought to leave in order to leave these two friends to get reacquainted. He felt a little pleased because Alex's arrival certainly lifted the Commander's spirit and like every other soldier in the rebel base, they knew moments when their commanding officer had time to herself were far and between. "Well I gotta be going." He said excusing himself and was hardly surprised they barely noticed him leaving. Still, when he walked away from the closing door of her office, he hoped Mary and her friend had a good time visiting. They probably had lots to talk about and catch up on.

* * *

When they were alone, Mary returned to her desk while Alex nestled herself in the chair in front of it. Mary fished out a bottle she seldom showed anyone she had hidden in the bottom drawer of her desk but was absolutely essential to her well being unless she wanted to steal Chris's light sabre and hack everyone to death when she was in a bad mood.

"Oh refreshments." Alex grinned as Mary started pouring the contents of the expensive Alderaanian liquor bottle into two small glasses. She noted the label on the bottle and added. "You still love that expensive stuff don't you?"

"And you've been working on the fringes too long You've gotten used to rot gut." Mary retorted as she sat the bottle down after filling both glasses.

"What's with the Jedi and the bounty hunter?" Alex found herself asking, aware she was delaying the inevitable but Mary's spirits were so lifted at seeing her that she had no wish to bring on the grim news she had come here to impart any sooner than necessary. Even the Hero of Jofa needed news like this broken to her gently.

"You saw Chris and Vin?" Mary stared at her with a raised brow as she slid one of the glasses in Alex's direction.

"They were with the kid," Alex said brushing a strand of hair from her face as she raised the glass to her lips take a sip. "I saw the light sabre on the table."

"Oh the one Vin's been trying to build for the last week." Mary nodded in acknowledgement. "Not having too much luck with it. Poor thing seems to keep getting interrupted a lot."

"Are you saying Vin Tanner is the one who owns the light sabre?" Alex exclaimed with surprise. She was certain it was the handsome blond god with the dark expression who was the Jedi. Alex was aware this particular cell of the rebel alliance had among its personnel a Jedi Knight who kept company with the former bounty hunter known as Vin Tanner. Of course, Alex had never met Tanner herself until now.

"Do you know Vin?" Mary stared at her.

"Only by reputation." Alex declared. "He's meant to be the best damn bounty hunter in the galaxy. What's he doing here?"

"Believe it or not, trying to become a Jedi apprentice," Mary drawled as she savoured the liquid in her mouth and let it warm her from inside out. "That is if he ever gets to build that light sabre."

"You probably got a good story of how he came to be here." Alex commented not needing to hear if Tanner could be trusted. Mary was no fool and Alex had utmost confidence in the legitimacy of Tanner being here because of her faith in Mary. They had been at Jofa together and if there was one thing Alex trusted above all else, it was Mary's instincts. More than once, it saved both their lives. "He looks nothing like I heard."

Mary knew the look of interest Alex was trying not to show because she had been Alex's friend from her first crush, her first date and then her first love. She knew her friend as thoroughly as Alex probably knew her. "Are you telling me you  _still_  have a thing for the ones with the bad reputation and cute baby blues eyes?"

"I barely know the man!" Alex scoffed in amusement, which soon disintegrated when she remembered why she was here and this conversation was not helping. Mary had to be told, no matter how much Alex did not want to do it. Before Mary was her brother's wife, she was Alex's best friend first and there was too much between them for Alex to keep this from her. Mary would want to be told. _Immediately_.

"I'm sure," Mary said dubiously and noted the expression in Alex's eyes, despite the bittersweet smile on her face. She guessed Alex's visit here was not a social call and decided she had better help Alex along with the reason for her arrival. "Now, you don't come out of the cold to fly all the way here just to see how I'm doing. Not that I wouldn't terribly grateful if you did. What's up Alex? What is you can't tell me?"

Alex's face drained of all humour and her brow knitted to take on a very different persona, one that made Mary's blood run cold just seeing it. Suddenly, Mary felt her pulse racing even though she did not know why. Alex could not meet her gaze and continued to stare at the glass which immediately heightened Mary's anxiety at the scale of the news she was about to hear.

"Its Stephen." Alex spoke, finally realizing there was no easy way to say it but to simply tell her and hope that the truth was enough comfort in itself. "He's alive."

For a second, it did not register. She stared at Alex, her fingers tightening around the glass, pressing up against the smooth surface until her blood rushed away from outer layer of skin and the overwhelming pressure by withdrawing into the rest of her hand. Her heart had gone from racing to stopping entirely in her chest and for a moment, she thought she heard it explode.

"Mary!" Alex exclaimed as the glass shattered in her hand.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN STEPHEN IS ALIVE!" 

"TO HELL WITH MY HAND!" Mary thundered again, ignoring the shards of glass in her hands or the blood dripping onto the desk from the cuts."How is it possible that Stephen is alive?"

"Your hand....." Alex started to say.

"All I know is that instead of sending out agents to kill him, the Empire sent a bounty hunter. When they didn't get Billy, they took Stephen alive instead of killing him like they were supposed to but the bounty hunter was afraid, you know how the Empire is these days with a botched job. She played it smart, instead of handing Stephen over to them, she turned him over to the Black Sun and now you're one of the most wanted criminals in the galaxy, Black Sun is asking the Empire for 10 million credits."

"My husband is being ransomed by gangsters?" Mary gasped. The very thought of it was obscene.

"Mary, I've informed the Alliance." Alex explained. "I wanted to come here and do this face to face before you heard it over some transmission. I'm sure the Alliance will match that sum."

"My husband is not a thing to be bargained with!" Mary stood up right, wiping her soaking hand on her shirt and leaving a bloody print  on the material. "We're going to get him back right now."

"Get him back?" Even Alex was taken back by that response. Mary was not one who thought rashly. She expected her friend to be angered by the news, perhaps enough to make voice of a rescue plan. Of the two of them it was Mary who was always the thinker, the one who always weighed decisions carefully before attacking. She was the best military commander in the rebel fleet, even Bel Iblis had conceded the fact. Iblis own prowess was as an intelligence gatherer, Mary was military, right down to the bone. She knew warfare and strategy better than any commander the rebels had and though her rage did not show not often, Alex knew Black Sun, presently residing in the Corporate Sector had every reason to fear.

"Yes," Mary rounded her desk and striding forcefully to the door. Her eyes fairly radiated crimson heat as she turned to Alex and stated. "I have a warship at my disposal and before I allow my husband, the father my child to be traded to the Empire like a sacrificial lamb, I will annihilate every last one of them!"


	4. Battle Lines

When Josiah was notified by Chano Mary had just sent him orders to prepare the  _Purgatory_  for immediate departure from its orbit around Siraj 2, his worse fears were confirmed.

In truth, Mary was the absolute commander of the rebel cell in the Territory but Josiah took his orders directly from the Alliance council and while he adhered to Mary's command in all other matters, this was one situation where he had to countermand her orders. He guessed this was coming which was why he wanted to be present when Mary was told about Stephen, wishing to offer her a calm voice in the face of such shattering news. Unfortunately, he was too late and now she  _knew_. She knew her husband was held prisoner for an entire year. A whole year where she  never even suspected he could be alive while he suffered his captivity without hope because everyone who loved him believed he was dead.

Josiah could not even begin to imagine how Mary felt.

However, he knew what she would do. As surely as he had seen the future, he could just imagine her reaction. He watched her grow from a child to a woman. Her father had been one of his best friends and no matter how much presence she commanded at times, there was a part of Josiah who would always remember her as that golden haired child so adored by her father, the Admiral. He had given Chano instructions to contact him the minute she confirmed his worse fears. Mary's first officer on the  _Purgatory_  had not liked being forced into such a position but when Josiah explained why, Chano's arguments evaporated. Instead of going to seek her out, Josiah chose to stay at the hangar, knowing eventually Mary would arrive here if she intended to journey to the warship.

Everyone was anxious because they knew there was a confrontation coming. Nathan had ordered all personnel out of the hangar for there was no reason for the rank and file to see their commander in such a position. Chris, Vin, Buck and JD remained because they were her friends and because she might need their support to see her way to making the right decision. Chris could sense her coming even before she arrived at the hangar entrance. He sensed her in the way one sensed a storm coming and even he felt somewhat taken back by her and knew before Josiah could even say a word this had gone beyond discussion.

The Force help him, Chris didn't think Mary could be reasoned with.

Mary strode into the hangar and immediately paused when she saw how quiet it was. Her fists were still clenched and her jaw set as her eyes swept over the area was devoid of the usual traffic of pilots, technicians, maintenance crews moving about the wide floor, going about their day to day activities. Even the droids were still. Alex beside her noticed the same silence.

"What's going on?" Alex asked puzzled by the radical change in atmosphere. Less than an hour ago, this place had been almost as busy as a spaceport in Coruscant and now it felt quiet like a tomb. It was almost eerie.

Josiah, Chris and the others stepped forward from behind the corner beyond Mary and Alex's peripheral view to make their presence known.

"Mary," Josiah spoke first, hoping baser instincts were still in place so he could reach her. "What are you doing?"

"I am going to the  _Purgatory_ ," Mary answered coldly. "I'm taking her to the Corporate Sector. I'm going to find Stephen." Her eyes shifted to Chris and narrowed slightly as a hint of accusation appeared in her eyes and the fact the narrow gap of space between them was suddenly the drawn line of a battlefield.

"Mary I can't let you do that." Josiah said evenly, watching her reaction. Beside her, Alex's face was one of concern but not enough to make her stop Mary from her present course. Josiah did not expect any help because Stephen was Alex's brother and he knew perfectly well Alex would die for Mary if it were asked of her. Their friendship was beyond loyalty and common sense. "I know about Stephen and so does the Alliance council. They want you to stand down. We will make an offer for Stephen ourselves and if that doesn't work we will think about a rescue plan."

"I see." Mary considered his words for a moment before raising her gaze to meet his.

"No," she shook her head. "That is not acceptable. I am taking the  _Purgatory_. I'm going to take my ship to the Corporate Sector and start shooting at things until I see Stephen."

"Mary," Chris spoke up. "Please."

She barely looked at him. "Chris, this is none of your affair. I am commander of this base and I say we go."

The coldness in her voice shocked him and he tried to hide his hurt but somehow it slipped past even the Jedi ability to mask his emotions.

"Mary, come on." Nathan tried this time. "Think about this..."

"No you think about this." Mary turned on them. "Do you I am completely stupid?" She asked, her voice harsh with accusation. "If Black Sun has already made their offer to the Empire, do you honestly think they are stupid enough to renege handing Stephen over to them? Especially in preference to us? Black Sun may be above the law but we both know Palpatine will destroy them if they chose sides. We can offer them twenty million, even a billion and Black Sun will still turn us down because they want to  _survive_  Nathan. Now get out of my way." She ordered.

"No." Josiah said firmly. "You're not taking the  _Purgatory_  and if you try, I'll have you relieved of your command."

"Really?" Mary retorted, unprepared to believe it and confident his threat was meaningless. "Try it. There's not a soldier in this place who would take that order."

She was right. Mary's status among the rank and file, not to mention the officers was near legendary. If Josiah were forced to relieve her of command, the blow to morale would be considerable. Not to mention, he was not entirely certain the rest of the rebels would obey the order. "Mary, don't do this. You're endangering yourself and the cause." He tried once more, hoping reason would prevail.

"Hey you're her friend," Vin regarded Alex. "Can't you see how dangerous this is? I know Black Sun and I know Chase. She'll kill him first before she gives him up to you. Warship or not."

Alex flinched because the bounty hunter was right. She knew Laurel Chase's organization very well and Chase's reputation spoke not only of her craftiness but also her vindictiveness. This was a woman who was once credited to have sent Jabba's envoy to her sent back to Nal Hutta  minus his head. "Mary, I want Stephen back too but they may be right."

"And so am I." Mary turned to her sharply. "They'll never give us Stephen and if we wait, the Empire will move into take possession. You know as well as I do, once they suspect we know, they'll have the Black Sun staked out with so many agents that no rescue attempt will be possible. We have do this and right now."

Alex was split on her feelings to help Mary but there was never any question she would not.

"I'm sorry," she turned to the others. "He's my brother and she is right. If we don't move now, we'll never reach him."

"No I'm sorry," Josiah whispered under his breath. "Commander Travis, I am temporarily relieving you of duty. Nathan, escort the commander back to her quarters."

Without even batting an eye, Mary drew her sidearm and aimed it at the group barring her way. "I'm going. Don't even try to stop me."

"Mary." Chris stepped forward. "You're frightened for Stephen and you're not thinking straight. We'll find a way to get him back, just put the gun down." He implored, knowing he had the power to disarm this situation could not bring himself to make such a move. Yet.  yet.

"Chris," Mary softened briefly. "He is my husband. If it were Sarah, I wouldn't be able to stop you either. Don't expect me too. Stand aside. I don't want hurt you but I will get through you."

From the corner of her eye, Alex saw Vin starting to inch forward and she went for her gun, aiming the weapon straight at his head. "Move one more inch bounty hunter and you'll regret it."

Vin froze in his step and swore, certain no one had seen him move. Damn she was good. When it came to the stealthy approach, he had no peer except maybe Chris but she spotted him easily.

"I reckon I will." He muttered unhappily and took a step back with the others while the play shifted back to Mary and Chris once more.

"Mary, put the gun down." Chris asked again, finding himself inching towards the place he had no wish to be.

"I will when you step out of the way." She said coldly, seeing right through him. "Don't make me shoot you Chris. It would hurt me but I will do it."

"I know you would," he nodded sadly and realised he had no choice. He had to act.

The gun was snatched out of her grip into his own with little effort on his part. He caught Alex's blaster with his other hand and stepped back from both women. Mary's face displayed a moment of dismay and surprise as her only bargaining tool was taken from her. Her emotions showed on her lovely face for a second before the tough mask fell again. Chris found himself facing a black wall of rage that contracted around her heart as she glared back him. Alex, he sensed was a little relieved the confrontation was diffused before they were forced to hurt anyone.

"Mary," Nathan came forward, trying to speak through the stare between Chris and Mary.

"You're upset and you have every right to be. Why don't you go back to your quarters for a bit and get some rest. When you've calmed down, you'll think of a better way out of this situation. I understand what you're going through. So does Chris. We both lost someone and we can't say in your situation we wouldn't act exactly the same way, but there is more than to this then rushing in blindly. If you gave yourself a moment to think, you'll see that."

Mary did not even acknowledge his empathic plea. Her eyes were too fixed on Chris. He could probably sense what she was feeling and that made his actions even more unacceptable. She could see nothing but betrayal and she knew at this moment, she loathed him more than all the others because Chris of all people should understand and his actions made him a hypocrite.

It was Chris who attempted to speak but Mary never let him get the chance. Her hand lashed out, striking him across the face and cutting short any words that might have left his lips. The  sound of it seemed to echo across the hangar and when it died, she spoke. 

"If Stephen dies, I will  _never_  forgive you."

With that, she turned on her heels and stormed the way she came, with Alex following close behind.

Chris watched her go with what was left of his heart, after that devastating rebuke, lying in scattered fragments around his feet. He knew exactly why she felt betrayed and had to admit that she was right. In her position, heaven and earth would not have been able to stop him from going to find Sarah. His part in stopping her here was even more of an injury than hearing Josiah attempt to relieve her of command. She understood their motivations but his? His was just pure betrayal.

"Chris...." Buck's voice broke through his thoughts, trying to make some conciliatory statement.

"DON'T." Chris retorted sharply, without even looking at the pilot. "Just _don't_."

* * *

 

'm sorry Mary," Alex fell into stride with the commander of the rebel base after the ugly confrontation in the hangar.

"I should have expected it." She said icily. "If we do this, we'll have to do it alone."

Somehow it did not surprise Alex  Mary was already hurtling down that path and though the whole idea of retrieving Stephen Travis was always going to be dangerous, a plan that did not involve a warship gave her some comfort. Besides, she felt just as strongly for liberating her brother from Laurel Chase's clutches as Mary but she had not been comfortable shooting their own people.

"Alright," Alex stated firmly. "I'm with you on anything you want to do, you know that."

Mary paused and glanced in her direction with a slight nod. "I do and thank you for backing me up in there."

"For all the good it did." Alex drawled. "You realise if you want to leave this place you're going to have to get past _him_."

"I know." She said shortly and hoped her tone was enough for Alex to realise she did not want to discuss or even mention _him_ by name at this point. "But we will get past him. In one hour I'm going to ask him to my quarters. You have to figure out a way to disable him there."

Alex stared at Mary. "You want me to take out a Jedi?"

"Can you do it?" Mary turned a questioning eye at her. "I would do it myself but he'll know an attack is coming from me. It has to take him completely by surprise and you can't be anywhere nearby when you do it either. He'll sense you as easily as he senses me."

"That's a tall order." The raven-haired beauty mused as she considered how she could attack the problem. As a deep cover operative, she was not above assassination when it was necessary. Although her main function was intelligence gathering, Alex was a highly trained combat expert and killing was just the nature of the job. However, she had never gone up against a Jedi and naturally, some trepidation ran through her at Mary's suggestion but she also knew any attempt of rescuing Stephen would never get past the Jedi if he felt inclined to stop them. Still, it was not entirely impossible. She could not be near him which was just as well because Mary was right, he would be able to sense an attack coming which limited her options considerably.

"I've got it." Alex declared.

"Don't tell me." Mary said quickly. "If I know so will he. I'm going to my office. Whatever you have to do, do it before I get to my quarters in one hour."

"I got you." She nodded. "We'll have also have to deal with the bounty hunter. I'll take care of him. At the moment, they're mostly worried about you."

Mary stiffened, refusing to think about that or Chris. "Are you sure you can handle Vin?"

"There is no one else to deal with him is there?" She retorted. "It's me or you and they'll be expecting it from you. I'm too new for anyone to get a bead on yet and next to you, I'm presently the highest ranking officer on this base. I can move around and get us what we need to leave."

As much as Mary hated to admit this, she would have to rely on Alex for their preparations to leave. "I'm going to give you a requisition order when I get to my office. Potter is in charge of requisition, speak to no one else but him. Tell him you're on special orders from the Commander. Confirmation of orders directly from me, no other channels."

* * *

Unaware of the catastrophe presently being engaged by his friends at the rebel base, Ezra Standish entered the Four Corners tavern a short time after he was given the news  he would soon be having a new second in command. Entering the establishment that was barely filled, as one would expect it to be at this time of the morning, he searched for Inez. There were one or two regulars who were always present; an Ithorian who spent every day as far as Ezra was concerned, hiding in his favorite booth downing Singularities by the mug and a Twileki with a taste for Inez's delightful lunches. Inez was wiping down her counter when she saw him enter and immediately stopped what she was doing to flash him that incredibly sultry smile as she strolled towards him.

"Commander Standish." She smiled alluringly as she leant over the bar and gave him a lingering kiss.

Ezra savoured the taste of her silky lips on his and returned the kiss with just enough passion to know he would look forward to making love to this woman when she was ready to take that step in their relationship. "Miss Recillos." He offered her a little smile.

"What can I get you?" She asked as she parted from him.

"I think what I just received is ample." He remarked and received another one of those incredible smiles.

"Not that I'm disappointed you are here," Inez remarked watching him pull up a stool against the counter. "But isn't this early for you?"

"Yes it is," he had to confess. "I am afraid I may in something of a situation."

Inez immediately tensed, completely aware he was extremely vulnerable despite his position as commander of the Cordoba base. Ezra's secret loyalties with the rebel alliance could have him executed for high treason if anyone were to discover his secret and since she had become personally involved with him, Inez could not deny she worried a great deal about him. She also knew he was the master of understatement and rarely liked to speak of his troubles. He was a deeply private man and Inez found herself caring for him more than she would like, even though their relationship existed on precarious footing.

"What sort of situation?" She asked, hoping it was nothing too serious.

"It appears I am acquiring a new second in command." Ezra explained with a little sigh. "The lady arrives tomorrow and I am almost certain she is a gift from Lord Vader."

Inez shuddered, remembering what he told her about his encounter with Darth Vader and was glad he had made it through that incident in one piece. "But you saved his life." 

"A fact I'm sure he hates more than I do." Ezra sighed as she poured him his usual drink of Alderanian cognac. "Therefore I have decided I am going to take a little vacation."

"A vacation?" She stared at him.

"Yes, I thought I might visit my friends at the rebel base. It is the one place I am certain the Empire won't find me." He said in a low voice.

"That's for sure." Inez agreed. "But won't the Empire get a little suspicious if you just suddenly disappear?"

"That is why I am here," Ezra replied, getting down to the heart of the matter. "I believe you have a scrambler that allows you to transmit without your signals being detected?" Even though there was barely anyone in the place, Ezra kept his voice down. "I need to send a message to my mother in the Corporate Sector."

"Your mother lives in the Corporate Sector?" Inez looked at him with surprise. The Corporate Sector was on the other side of the galaxy and usually populated by those who did not want to be noticed by the Empire. It was the preferred address for gangsters and criminals although from what little Inez knew about Maude Standish, the description might also suit the lady. 

"Yes, she owns a casino out that way." Ezra nodded offhandedly, not wishing to discuss Maude in detail. "I need to send her a message for her to invent some family crisis requiring my presence immediately."

Inez nodded in understanding. "I see and when she does, her darling boy will naturally need to leave his post immediately to take care of things, thus giving you a convenient excuse not to be there when your new first officer arrives."

"Exactly." He winked in affirmation.

"She's going to be plenty mad you know." Inez pointed out.

"Let her." Ezra responded. "Spy or not, there is one thing she must adhere to while under cover at  _my_  station"

"And that is?" Inez asked.

"I am her commanding officer and she has to follow my orders." Ezra retorted. "If she does not, I have every right to transfer her off my station and unless Vader wants it known he had a spy planted in my midst, there will not be a thing he can do about it."

Ezra had thought hard on his choices upon learning that he was going to have Lieutenant Julia Pemberton foisted on him. The captain had decided that if Vader wanted to play games, Ezra would take up the challenge and with all due respect to the Sith Lord, Ezra was better at it.

* * *

Although Vin found Chris meditating in his quarters, he knew for a fact the Jedi was far from at peace. He could sense the conflict inside his friend and wished there was some way to soothe his hurt but there was not. From the moment, they had seen each other; Chris Larabee and Mary Travis recognized something in one another that was comforting in their darkest hours. Vin, who had more insight into Chris's psyche than most, knew it was more than just comfort but the pains of his past loss that had yet to bring that realization to fruit. Chris and Mary were so alike and yet unlike at the same time it was inevitable someday, theirs would be souls melded into one but that was before today.

Before they knew that Stephen Travis was alive.

He felt pity for his friend and knew he had to cast the thought from his mind because Chris would sense it and he did not think Chris could stomach pity from anyone right now. Vin felt the sorrow in Chris's heart when Mary struck him and ached for his friend in sympathy. If he had someone whom he cared about that much say such harsh words to him, Vin was not entirely certain he would have held up as well as Chris had in the same circumstances.

"Chris?" Vin called out as he entered the room and saw Chris seated on his bed, cross-legged and attempting to calm his troubled spirit.

Chris opened his eyes. "What do you want?" He demanded, clearly indicating he wanted to be left alone.

"I just wanted to see if you were okay." Vin answered tentatively. There was no point lying. Chris would know.

"I'm fine." Chris retorted not kindly. "Leave me alone and I'll be better."

"I'm sure she didn't mean it." Vin found himself saying, unable to leave it at just that. "She was hurting and you were trying to..."

"I know what I was trying to do." The Jedi barked. "I should have let her go. If it were Sarah, nothing would have stopped me. I had no right to stand in her way. I just...." he could not say it. The words had almost slipped past him into the open but Chris could not complete the sentence.

"It's not your fault Chris," Vin found himself saying. "You can't help how you feel."

"I don't have a right to feel this way about her." Chris shot back. "She doesn't belong to me. She never did. I have no right to expect anything."

"Chris," Vin took a deep breath. "Take it from someone who once felt something for someone who belonged to another man. Knowing its wrong doesn't make it hurt any less. You still want and you still yearn, even if everything inside you knows it's impossible."

Chris did not respond but everything inside of him refused to accept that even though he knew it was the truth.

 


	5. Distraction

Mary Travis looked at herself in her bedroom mirror and asked herself once again if she knew what she was doing because truthfully, she was so far away from herself, she could no longer tell.

Events were transpiring at such a pace she no longer felt in control of herself. All she could do was sit by and watch this other person take charge of her body and do the things she did not have strength to. She tried hard not to think about the situation that would put her back in control because that other personality was handling things fine without her. She knew if she started to pause or think, or do any of the things normally associated with the responsible leader of the Territory’s rebel enclave, she would lose her nerve and Stephen all over again.

Her thoughts drifted in limbo as she lingered like someone awaiting execution, in expectation of events to slip into place for that final reckoning. Mary entered her quarters at the appointed time and slipped into her travelling clothes. She packed a bag and ensured the items taken were nondescript and impersonal. There could be nothing in the contents to allow anyone to guess her identity. She had no idea what lay ahead but if she was going to embark on this personal crusade, she was not going endanger the cause to which she devoted her life at the expense of almost everything else. Mary knew the time was approaching but she had one more task to do. Rising to her feet from the corner of her bed, she went to the com screen on the nearby wall and activated it.

"Commander Travis here," she spoke to whoever was presently manning the communications center. "Is my call ready?"

"Yes Sir." The young man respond. "Patching through Bakura through scrambled frequency."

"Thank you Lieutenant." Mary said graciously and waited with a held breath.

The image of the young man disappeared abruptly to be replaced by a burst of static before a new face appeared that was welcomed and familiar. The man, who would have been terribly handsome in his day, immediately smiled at seeing Mary's features mirroring his own, on a screen in the far distant world of Bakura. Although it was technically considered Imperial space, Bakura was far from the nearest Imperial presence and was still under the influence of its own local government. In better times, the man before her had been a diplomat of note and the Bakurans held him in enough regard to protect him from those who would harm him and his young grandson.

"Orin." Mary greeted with a smile, feeling a soul quenching warmth filling into her at the sight of him.

"Mary, what a surprise." Orin declared with just as much pleasure before turning briefly away from the screen. "Billy!" He called out. "Come quickly, it's your mother!"

"How are you Orin?" Mary asked her spirits lifting. It had been almost a year since Mary had been on Bakura. Since she had helped Orin get settled on the world and entrusted her son to his care.

"Oh we're doing just fine." Orin replied and he  _did_  look happy. She could see the tinge of brown on his face, which indicated he had been working hard on his garden. Strange how she never saw Orin as a farmer but then she supposed so many things were different these days and so many roles were changing. "I've got my first crop of legumes which I took to the local market. I traded it for a dozen nerfs."

"Really?" Mary laughed, trying not to let the emotion overwhelm her. "I never pictured you as a nerf herder Orin."

"Well," the older man sighed. "Much too old to be saving the galaxy these days, that's your job. How are you doing?" He asked and Mary knew he could see the inherent sadness in her eyes.

"I'm fine." She said as neutrally as possible. She did not want to tell Orin there was the possibility Stephen was alive. Orin had already suffered enough agony in his life, having buried two wives and a son. Until Mary was certain she could bring Stephen home, she was not going to raise his hopes just to dash them against the rocks if she failed.

"Here he is." Orin announced just as Mary saw a small, bounding shape running through the front door of the small cottage he and his grandfather had been occupying since they arrived on Bakura. "Billy, its your mother."

"Mommy!" Billy cried out as he jumped onto Orin's knee so he could see her on the screen. Mary almost burst into tears as she saw her son because it was Stephen's face all over the screen and felt her heart melt at the smile that greeted her with his small voice. He had grown so much!

"Hello Billy." Mary tried to stay cheerfully but she never imagined it could be so hard. At that moment, she could have died from how much she missed her precious boy. She still saw him as that tiny pink creature that relied upon her so desperately when she had first brought him into the world.

"Mommy are you coming to visit soon?" He opened their conversation with the same question as always.

"Soon baby," Mary replied not sure if that was a lie or not. "I'll be coming to visit. Have you been a good boy for your grandfather?"

"Yes," he nodded wiping blood hair out of his face the color of flax. "Grandpa taught me how to fish and I can count all the way to 20." He said proudly.

"Twenty!" Mary exclaimed with pride. "You're ready for the Academy." She glanced at the chronometer and knew they would have to terminate their conversation  _soon_. Even through scrambled frequencies, Mary could not afford anyone detecting the signal she was sending to Bakura.

"Baby I gotta go." Mary addressed her son once more and saw the downcast expression on his face at that news. By the Force, she missed him so much. "I love you. You take care okay?"

"I love you too mommy." He smiled at her and Mary decided if she were to die in what she was attempting to do, at least she would do so knowing she had that image of her son to take with her.

"Orin, take care of my son." She asked Stephen's father who was now starting to suspect there might be an ulterior motive regarding this sudden communication between them. "He's all I have."

"Mary, is something wrong?" Orin inquired with a look of concern on his face.

"No of course not," she lied. "I'm just feeling a little sentimental today. I have to go now. I love you both. I'll try and come see you soon. Goodbye Orin, goodbye Billy."

"Bye mommy." Billy placed his small hand on the screen and Mary found herself doing the same as if they were actually touching through the distance of space.

"Goodbye baby," she whispered, keeping her hand on the screen even after it had gone blank again and there were tears running down her cheeks.

* * *

When Chris was told Mary wanted to see him in her quarters, Chris hoped perhaps she might have calmed down enough to see what he had done earlier was for her best interests. He knew he could have found out for himself exactly what she was feeling if he were to stretch his mind through the Force and link with hers. However, he had done enough to Mary today without invading her privacy as well. Chris made his way to her quarters, telling himself if she were still angry he would have to accept it. After all, she was right. If it were Sarah who was alive, nothing she could have said or done would have kept him from going. He  _was_  being a hypocrite and worst of all he was being a hypocrite for completely selfish reasons.

He was a Jedi! He could not afford to be selfish! To want and desire something  unattainable was to court the temptations of the dark side. The dark side provided easy answers to satisfy the desires normally out of reach. A little compromise here, a sacrifice there and the next thing you knew, you were so deep into the mire of black there was no emerging from it. Whatever had been the reason for the descent would be just as destroyed as the one who followed the path to acquire it. If it had been anyone else, he would have balked at the idea but this was not anyone else, this was Mary. From the moment he saw her, he had  _known_. He felt her touch his soul the way nothing else had since Sarah. In the deep recesses of him, which he dare not admit to anyone, even himself, Chris knew not even Sarah had made that connection. It was rare two beings could know with such complete confidence they were meant for each other.

And Chris decided then and there as he stood in front of her door, even if it meant losing her forever, he would help Mary find Stephen Travis.

He activated the door panel and a soft chime let her know that he was there waiting.

"Come in." He heard her say and entered the room, prepared for anything.

The first thing Chris realised when he stepped into the room was that she was blocking him. He felt her mind close off and although she was standing in front of him, words needed not be spoken because he could feel her conscious effort to keep him from reading her mind. She filled her mind with all sorts of random thoughts. In seconds he caught flashes of her as a child, of the places she loved to play, a favourite toy. There so many images and Chris marvelled at the single-minded will creating this kaleidoscope of disarray to confuse him.

"Mary..." Chris opened his mouth to speak. She was hiding something! He  _could_  pierce through the barriers before him. In fact he could do it with relative ease but it would hurt her, especially when she was trying so hard to confuse him. "What are you doing?"

She stood there, her eyes clamped shut. Her mind was focussed and Chris saw images that were real, some there were imaginary. In a second, he saw her thinking of him in her arms and was immediately drawn to that picture, especially when there was so much emotion behind it. For a moment, he could almost smell her hair, the touch of her skin as he became lost in the smooth feel of alabaster skin. She was calling out his name, dragging him sensuously into a fantasy of erotic desire. Had he been a novice, he might have been completely caught into her thrall but but strong as her will might be, she simply did not have the training of to keep him bound by the imagery. Chris started to break free, realizing this display had purpose.

"What are you hiding?" He asked as he snapped his mind free of her.

She let out a gasp as a small rivulet of blood ran down her nose at the effort exerted. She wiped it away quickly and while she no longer filled her mind with random images to confuse him, she was still blocking him. However, that was superseded by something else entirely. He could feel the Force screaming out danger and knew immediately whatever form it took, it would come from her. He stared at her hard, trying to ascertain how and decided reluctantly he would have to make that invasion after all.

"I'm sorry Chris." Her gaze shifted behind him.

Chris swung around just in time to see the remote practice unit he often used to hone his light sabre skills hovering before him. As fast as he was, he was not fast enough to keep it from discharging. A bolt of energy struck him square in the chest and the last thing Chris thought before the world went black around him was that once again, he had failed Mary.

Mary saw Chris tumble to the floor and let out a deep breath. She had not realised what Alex's plan had been until she saw the device appear from behind a chair and glide gently towards Chris. Ezra had told her how he managed to block Vader when the dark lord had come to Cordoba. Mary knew Chris was not as strong as Vader and assumed she would have some measure of success against him. She looked at the smear of blood on her hand and was glad she had not had to do it any longer because it had really been starting to affect her. Normally the charge from the practice remote would not be enough to render anyone unconscious, just a sting to incite better performance from its user. Obviously, Alex had doctored the device to deliver a substantial charge.

Mary knelt over Chris's unconscious form and checked his pulse. He was alive but would not be waking up any time soon. Still, she was taking no chances. The Jedi's ability to heal was notorious for being extremely rapid and if a normal man would be unconscious for some hours, Mary estimated she would be lucky if she could get out of the base before he woke up.

"I have to do this Chris," she whispered softly to him even though he was beyond hearing him, her hand gently caressing his cheek. "I'm sorry for what I said earlier. I didn't mean it but I have to go now. I have to try just like you would if it were Sarah."

With that, she stood up and stepped over him, pausing long enough to retrieve the packed bag waiting for her, before disappearing out of the room.

* * *

Vin Tanner sat down in the privacy of his quarters and turned his attention once again to the parts scattered on a small drop sheet on the table before him. After all the excitement earlier and Chris’s present difficulties with Mary, Vin had decided the best place for him to be at the moment was out of their hair so they could work things out among themselves. Secretly, he hoped there was a way to resolve the situation but as always in the case of there being one spouse too many, Vin knew from experience it was inevitable that someone would be hurt. Unfortunately, it appeared in this instance it was most likely to be Chris Larabee.

 _Empty your mind of all distractions_ , he told himself, echoing Master Yoda’s words in his head as he regarded the task before him, particularly of dark hair women in skin tight, leather-hugging clothes. Vin shook the image out of his mind even though he knew his preoccupation had as much to do with Mary’s extraordinarily beautiful friend as well as Chris’s  anguish at the sudden re-emergence of Stephen Travis. He let out a small sigh just picturing her in his head. Vin had little to do with women he had not paid for. Other than that one instance where he had almost got himself killed, his encounters with the fairer sex was limited. There were very few women who wanted permanent relationships with bounty hunters and even less that were worth cultivating something deeper than a night’s diversion.

 _Enough_ , Vin said firmly to himself. He had a task to complete and this time, there were no more distractions to use an excuse for not getting it done. Vin steeled himself inwardly to begin and reached over for the first tool he would need to construct his own lightsaber. He was just about to make contact with its smooth surface when suddenly his door chimed.

"HELL!" He swore. "What do you have to do get some privacy in this place?" Another chime from the door punctuated that statement and swearing under his breath, Vin rose to his feet and went to answer it, thinking to himself whomever it was better have a damn good reason for interrupting him. At the rate he was going, he was going to be an old man before he even finished building his lightsaber, let alone becoming a Jedi.

To his surprise, when the doors slid open, he found himself standing before a most unexpected visitor. Vin found himself gulping visibly at the sight of his raven haired temptress before him. Once again, he was overcome with feelings he had not experienced since he was a teenager and stopped himself from gawking at her like one.

"Do something for you?" He asked, trying to inject as much cool nonchalance into his voice as he could muster.

"Can I come in?" She looked over his shoulder into his quarters to see if he was alone.

"Depends." Vin responded fighting baser instincts. The tempo of his heart was increasing just looking her before him and Vin told himself inwardly to get a hold of himself. Still, there was something in the way she regarded him that told Vin he was not the only one affected by her presence. Whether it was the Force or something beyond that, Vin knew he affected her too. However for all the pleasant feelings she stirred up in him, Vin also acknowledged that there was danger. He was not as adept as Chris at picking up thoughts and most of the time he sensed emotions but that sixth sense warning him of trouble which until recently, he had thought to be insight but knew to be the Force, was telling him to be cautious.

She was dangerous.

"On what?" She asked coyly.

"On what you want." He returned coolly. They were both playing roles here. He was trying to show she did not affect him on a personal level but she was exuding so much raw sex appeal he could barely think straight. Later, would he realise how dangerous that could be.

"I wanted to talk to you about Mary and your friend." Alex responded as she waited to be invited in. By their few seconds of conversation, Alex had discerned much about the apprentice. Mary filled in some of the gaps but until now, most of what Alex knew was conjecture. Obviously, he could not read her thoughts like a full Jedi or else he would have known what she was planning. Perhaps he did know but could not define it, whatever the case, she had to act quickly. He may have been an apprentice but before he had gone the way of the Jedi, Vin Tanner was the best bounty hunter in the business and not someone she wanted to take on in an extended confrontation.

"Not much to talk about." 

"Not judging by the way he looks at her." Alex returned.

"What would you know about that?" He accused.

"Enough to know he might have personal reasons for not letting Mary go after Stephen." She stared at him hard and knew immediately he suspected the same of his friend. She felt sorry for him because she could genuinely see he cared for both Mary and the Jedi. Once again, Alex was surprised by how unlike his reputation he actually was. She forced such thoughts out of her head because empathising with him would only make it harder for her to do what was needed. Mary was counting on her to be there and Alex would not fail her best friend at this most crucial time.

"Alright," Vin conceded and stepped aside to let her into his private sanctum. This was not a conversation Vin wanted to discuss with her in the middle of a corridor. In truth, he would be telling her nothing because Chris’s feelings for Mary was his own business, Vin had no intention of giving anyone else his opinion on the subject, because he was equally fierce about keeping his own counsel to himself.

Not that he had to worry. The minute he had his back turned on her as he tried to close the door, Alex moved into attack. His senses told him there was danger even as she prepared to strike. He spun around and caught the fist that would have impacted on the back of his head in his own. Alex stared at him in surprise for less than a split second before she swung again. Vin blocked her with just as much ease before she kicked out her leg and connected with his chest, causing him to stagger backward from the force of the well placed kick. He crashed into his desk and swore loudly when his lights sabre assembly scattered all around his desk.

"What the hell are you doing?" 

"Sorry Tanner," she responded, throwing another kick at him as he attempted to regain his footing. "Can’t explain but you need to be out of the picture."

Vin caught the leg and pulled back hard. Alex dropped to the floor but she was by no means done. Upon Vin nearing her, she shot out her foot and slammed into his ankle, driving him to the floor as she flipped up right in one easy movement. Vin recovered just as easily and was there to meet her face to face. They faced each other, trading blow for blow almost evenly matched. Vin was amazed at how fast she was and knew she was hard to beat but not impossible. As much as he loathed to do it, he had to stop pulling his punches. Grabbing her by the waist, he downed her in a full body tackle and knew he had hurt her when she let out a little cry upon whacking her head against the floor.

"Stop it!" He shouted. "I don’t want to hurt you!"

"Hurt me?" She cried indignantly even though he was on top of her. "Like hell you will."

She locked her legs around his neck in a scissor movement and flipped him off her, changing positions so she was now on top of him. Vin’s fist lashed out and caught her on the jaw, throwing her off him easily. She felt flat on her back again and Vin knew he could not afford to let her recover. However before he could reach her, she had flipped upright again, although this time, she was not as steady as before. Vin knew it would take a bit more to make her give up and grabbed her by the shoulders.

"Let me go!" She shouted, preparing to break free when Vin suddenly found himself thinking on impulse with a part of his body that was  _not_  his brain. Before he could even question the sanity of it, he pressed his mouth against hers in a hot, passionate kiss. There was naturally resistance and she pulled away from him in outrage. "How dare you!" She hissed.

Vin had no idea himself but that stolen kiss made him light headed. He looked into her eyes and saw her anger melt and suddenly, it was she pulling him closer. Her hands wrapped around his neck and Vin found his arms sliding around her waist, driving her into a nearby wall as they engaged in a bout of near savage kissing. It was hard pressed to say whose lips were more demanding for they were equally matched in that too and countless seconds passed as Vin felt himself being lost more and more to the heat of her body. Her lips tasted like honey and send shivers of anticipation through him with every pleasured sigh escaping her. He could not ever remember being aroused to such an extent and wondered if his world could be any more absurd. After a second, he decided he cared less whether anything made sense or not, just as long as he did not have to pull away from that heavenly mouth.

Alex was similarly griped with such thoughts. His kisses were robbing her of all sense and it had been a long time, a  _very_  long time since any man had been able to affect her on such a level. She felt her senses burning with desire and knew if she did not stop soon, she would not be able to. Remembering she had come here for reasons other than a soul-searching kiss, Alex had to put a stop to this. Mary needed her focussed, not behaving like some lovesick teenager. As much as she might loathe it, she had to push him away but  _damn_ , she would be thinking about him for the next year.

Without warning, she brought her knee up between his legs and ended any further osculation between them. Vin let out a groan of pain, partially from shock as he dropped to his knees.

"Sorry about this," she apologised while he was suffering on the floor from the below the belt injury she inflicted upon him. Alex looked around and quickly picked up the heaviest object she could find before bringing it down on his head. He collapsed unconscious without a sound and Alex hoped he would not be too upset with her when he woke up. Dropping the ornament on the floor next to him, Alex made her way to the door once more. Hopefully at their next meeting, she would be able to offer suitable recompense for his injuries.

Besides, she would hate to have those wonderful lips be mad at her.

* * *

Mary was already making her way to the hanger when Alex caught up with her. Both women went about unnoticed as they walked briskly through the corridor. Despite the confrontation with Josiah and the others earlier, most of the rebels were unaware of the situation regarding Stephen Travis. It was just as well; Mary had enough conflicting emotions about how she dealt with Chris, to stomach inflicting the same treatment on someone else. She had no wish to harm any of her friends or those under her command, however, she was going to be damned if she allowed anyone to tell her whether or not she could act to save her husband. Not even the leaders of the Rebel Alliance had the right to do that.

"Here," Mary handed Alex her sidearm once again.

The rebel operative had asked Mary to keep the blaster when she had gone to confront Vin Tanner and was more than glad to have it back again. She slid the weapon back into her holster and could not help thinking how simple things would have been if she had just been allowed to use her gun when she had entered Tanner’s quarters. Shooting him would have been a lot less complicated, she thought to herself.

"Thanks." She responded. "Everything go alright with the Jedi?"

"It worked." Mary said abruptly, having no wish to elaborate. "How about you? Any troubles with Vin?"

"No," Alex responded with a little smile. "Not at all."

Mary glanced at her friend for a second, wondering about that enigmatic expression on her face was about and decided she did not want to know as the deed was done. Right now, she had only one thing on her mind. Leaving before either Chris or Vin could be in a position to stop her.

"Is everything ready?" She asked instead.

"Yes, I loaded everything you wanted from your requisition officer, Potter." Alex nodded. "You had a couple of private ships in your hangar. The Corsair would have been nice but just a little too big I think, so I loaded all our equipment onto the Sluis Van Slip streamer next to it. She’s smaller and if I’m not mistaken, faster as well. Besides, those things give Imperial TIE’s a run for their money."

"That’s the  _Tracker_." Mary informed her. "Vin’s ship."

Alex rolled her eyes and muttered to herself. "Figures."

 


	6. Pursuit

"Chris!"

Buck Wilmington’s voice filled his mind like a light flooding into a dark cavern. For a few seconds, he was almost blinded by its intensity and his mind recoiled further into the darkness in a mad attempt to evade the effect of the noise on his sensitive consciousness. However, with the coming of wakefulness, Chris snagged onto Buck’s voice and rode the torrent of sound back to the land of the living. With the awakening of his senses, sensation began flooding back into heavy limbs and a mind dulled by the edge of a throbbing headache However, nothing had more effect on his resurrection then the return of his short-term memories. 

"Mary!" Chris groaned as he realised what had happened. What she had done.

  
"Its too late," Buck said placing a hand on his shoulder to keep him from getting up too quickly. "She’s gone." 

"Gone?" He looked up at his friend and was about to demand more answers when he realised there was no need. Chris knew exactly where she was going, just as he knew why. Everything he wanted to ask was redundant because he already knew the answers.  

"Yeah," Buck nodded grimly. "She and that friend of hers took Vin’s ship and blasted out of here."  

"We’ve got to go after her." Chris declared trying to stand up.  

"Take it easy." Buck instructed, placing a supportive hand under his arm as he made the effort. "You’ve been hit pretty hard by one of those remote practice drones."  

"Is that how she got the drop on you Chris?" JD’s voice entered the fray and Chris looked up to see the younger man had been there all along. At that moment Chris had to admit to Buck’s evaluation of his condition if he had not sensed JD’s presence in the room. His body ached and while he sensed there was no permanent injury, it would still take some time to dispel the effects of the discharge upon his system.  

"Yeah," Chris nodded, capable of standing up on his own and rubbing the back of his neck. He had sensed nothing about the remote practice drone when he confronted her but Mary was smart enough to get around a Jedi if she put her mind to it. A simple solution to the problem of eliminating him as an obstacle would have been to have someone else plan the attack, without telling her, so she could not inadvertently give it away when he came into contact with her. He had to commend Mary for her intelligence but then supposed she would always be two steps ahead of him because of who she was. It was time he stopped thinking of her as the woman he cared about and started remembering she was one of the sharpest military minds in the galaxy if he had any chance of catching up with her. 

"How long has she been gone?" He asked Buck. 

"Not that long." Buck replied. "An hour maybe more." 

"If she’s jumped into hyperspace, she could be anywhere by now." Chris pointed out. 

"I think we both know where she went." Buck said grimly. 

"The Corporate Sector." Chris sighed heavily "She’s going to get him." 

"Can’t we go after her? Help her?" JD asked, having been content to keep his own counsel until now, but since this all began he had been questioning whether or not they were right to deny her. JD assumed the others knew better than him but he was starting to learn perhaps it was not always true because the question of what they ought to do had always been clear to him. "I mean we should be helping her. He’s her husband, we couldn’t possibly expect her to sit by and do nothing."  

Buck and Chris met each other's eyes feeling equally admonished by JD's words. It was ironic it was left to the youngest of them to finally come out and say what they should have obviously done in the first place, before Mary Travis had came to the conclusion she could not rely on them to help her.  

"He's right." Buck shook his head, unable to keep from feeling a little ashamed about not being more supportive of Mary's desire to find Stephen.

"And a lot smarter than all of us." Chris patted JD on the shoulder. The youth tried not to show how affected he was by the gesture. However, no amount of restraint could keep his proud smile from sneaking across his lips especially when Chris added further. "We should have helped her to begin with. Now she’s gone off on her own."

 "And she’ll run straight into the Black Sun." Buck declared familiar enough with the organisation to know no good would come from crossing swords with it.

 "At the very least," Chris retorted as he started towards the door. "At the worst, the Empire." 

* * *

When they arrived at the command centre of the rebel base, a place usually presided over with supreme authority by Mary Travis, it felt strange to see Nathan running things in her absence. At the moment, the rebels were still reeling from the shock news their commander had gone off on a personal crusade liable to get herself killed. Chris entered the small annex within the command center where Mary carried out more direct discussions with her personnel which she dubbed the war room. He caught sight of Vin Tanner standing next to Nathan and Josiah holding a Re-Gen pack over the back of his skull. The apprentice did not at all look happy and Chris could tell from his dark emotions something more than being hit on the head had provoked his anger.  

"What happened to you?" Buck asked as they approached the others. 

"Styles blindsided me." Vin barked a response and Chris immediately knew there was more to it than that. 

"Did she use one of those practice drones on you as well?" JD asked innocently.  

"No." Vin snapped and was about to add something further when he felt silent again. "Never mind. It ain't important." 

However by the sour expression on his face, it was obvious more had taken place than the former bounty hunter was willing to reveal. Fortunately, no one pressed him on the issue and Vin would have told them already if it had any relevance to their present crisis. Chris made a mental note to talk to Vin about it when this was all over. For the moment however, he would respect his friend's privacy because there were things of greater importance requiring his attention. He had no doubt Vin had a story almost as interesting as he himself did on how Alex had managed to get past him. Certainly Chris omitted some of details regarding Mary's method of blocking him.  

"You alright?" Chris asked concerned as he saw the blood stained Re-Gen pack that Vin was holding against the wound on his head. 

"I'll survive." Vin muttered and immediately told Chris with his expression that it was his pride that had the worse injury, not his skull. 

"We have to go after her." Nathan captured their attention by stating firmly now they were more or less here. The six men in the room were Mary's closest friends and if there was any question of her retrieval, it would be they who would carry it out. 

"That's easier said then done." Josiah rumbled, having feared this exact situation the moment he learned Stephen was alive. "She's gone to the Corporate Sector and she is with Alexandra Styles." 

No one commented when Vin produced an audible snort of annoyance. 

Josiah gave the apprentice a quick look before he shook his head and resumed speaking. "Not much is known about the Corporate Sector. Technically, it's under Imperial control but mostly its run by corrupt officials from Old Republic days. They call themselves the Authority and for the rich dividends, they basically let the Smuggling Guild and criminal organizations have their run of the place. Black Sun is one of these. What we know of Laurel Chase is scant but if Mary wants to rescue Stephen, she's going to have to do it from the inside. With Alex at her side, that's possible. Alex is a covert intelligence operative. She knows how to disappear and she knows how to blend in. It is possible for Mary to get very close to Stephen." 

"Or stuck so deep we'll never find her." Vin retorted. "Listen Chase is no fool. I don't doubt that Alex, " he could not help but seethe when he spoke her name, "is pretty good at what she does but Chase will expect some kind of action from the Rebellion, I can tell you this now. Mary may be walking into a trap and if you think what Chase was asking for Stephen is a lot of credits, its nothing compared to what she'll demand for Mary." 

"We need to go after her." Chris stated. "While we still can. Vin, how well do you know the Corporate Sector?" 

"Not enough to get inside with Black Sun." Vin confessed unhappily. In truth, he always tried to stay out of the Corporate Sector because alliances there shifted at a moment's notice. It was never wise to be in a place where just about everyone could be bought. Those who fled Imperial dominance often found they had traded it for something worse in the Corporate Sector. The Empire was governed by some measure of law and order where else the Corporate Sector was a random free for all that changes as regularly as the next highest bidder. 

"Buck?" Chris looked at his old friend hopefully.  

"Sorry Chris." Buck shook his head sadly. "I always thought the place was bad news, I stayed out of there. I mean I've been there once or twice but nothing more than that." 

"Chris," Nathan spoke up and Chris sensed something in the man's voice that told the Jedi without having to use any of his abilities, Nathan might have the answer he needed. " Ezra knows the Corporate Sector." 

"Ezra knows the Corporate Sector?" Buck exclaimed with surprise. "How?" 

"He grew up there." Nathan replied, feeling as if he was betraying a confidence by making that revelation when Ezra was not here to give him permission. Unfortunately, the situation with Mary was so crucial they had no choice. Chris needed answers immediately and Nathan could not waste time wrestling with his conscience, besides he was confident under the circumstances, Ezra would understand. "His mother runs a place in the Corporate Sector." 

"Well isn't that a coincidence." Josiah mused after a rebel lieutenant had come discreetly to him during their discussion and handed him a data pad. 

"What is it Josiah?" Buck asked. 

"It's a transmission from Inez." Josiah announced raising his eyes to meet the others once he was done reading the contents of the data pad. "Apparently Ezra needs to make himself scarce for a few days. It seems he has been assigned a new first officer appointed by Vader and he wants to avoid her for a few days. "He wanted to know if we could get him off Cordoba because he did not want to be followed."  

Josiah put down the pad on the table before him and met Chris's gaze with a suggestive arch of his brow. "I think we can accommodate him."

"Ezra knows the Corporate Sector and every weasel in it. If anyone has the connections to find Mary, its Ezra." Nathan stated firmly, confident their chances of retrieving Mary were significantly increased with Ezra's active participation.  

Despite the urgency of the situation, Nathan could not deny it would be good to see his old friend again. He missed the days when the freedom to see each other was something to be taken for granted. Nowadays, meetings had to be made following careful preparations and who knew how Ezra's dance on the razor's edge would end. There was only so long he could keep aiding them before the Empire became wise to what he was doing. The arrival of a new first officer by the appointment of Darth Vader did not bode well for the captain and Nathan suspected it was just a matter of time before he was finally uncovered as an rebel spy.

"Alright then," Chris Larabee replied firmly, eager to make their departure as soon as possible. "Let's get after her before she gains any more ground then she already has." 

* * *

Mary stared at the blur of hyperspace through the window of the Tracker's cockpit and tried not to think too deeply on what had happened back at the base. A part of her was still somewhat shell shocked by what she had done and hoped those left behind would not be too worried.  _Stupid_ , she rebuked herself immediately as soon as the thought crossed her mind. Of course they would be worried about her! They were her friends and in a reversal of roles, Mary would feel exactly the same. The departure from the base had gone as smoothly as anticipated. Thanks to Josiah's determination to keep their earlier confrontation private from the rank and file, no one found anything suspicious by her departure, not that they would have dared to stop her. She was after all their commanding officer and had the authority to go where she pleased. 

Alex, who was at the controls of the ship next to her, was just as quiet and the cool air of the cockpit felt more like a tomb than the nerve center of a space ship. Her oldest friend went about the business of activating the autopilot system so the vessel could guide itself through the eddies and currents of the hyperspatial void. Alex would cast furtive glances in her direction occasionally, waiting for her to break the silence but Mary did not wish to talk just yet. She was trying not to let herself be overwhelmed with guilt at how she tricked and incapacitated Chris Larabee. Oh she knew that it was Alex who had actually carried out the deed but she was ultimately responsible for it. 

"So," Alex said finally, deciding Mary was not going to speak unless prompted. "You want to tell me what that was between you and the Jedi?"  

Mary stiffened in her chair and retorted shortly. "Not particularly." 

"Come on Mary," Alex gave her a long look, one Mary knew well because Alex used it so effectively through the years whenever she was about to goad Mary into discussing something she had no wish to. "I was your friend before you became my sister-in-law. You know you can talk to me about anything. Wasn't I the one who held your head down the first time you got drunk and then got sick after that furlough party? Did I not rescue you from that Rodian with the bad breadth and the even worse come on line. What was it again?" 

"You haven't had a man until you've had one of us..." Mary responded, a faint smile crossing her face as she recalled the incident. Alex had come right up to her and kissed her on the mouth in front of the Rodian before explaining, in the way only Alex could, that Mary's predilections did  _not_  involve men at all. The Rodian had vanished faster than an atom down a singularity. "I remember." 

"Good," Alex smiled warmly reaching for the hand resting on an armrest. "Now I'm not stupid. I saw how he looked at you."

"We're just friends Lex." Mary answered but knew even as she said the words it was a lie. Mary had no idea what they were. She knew she looked at Chris and saw more than a friend but less than a lover. There was something between them that was made from the same fabric as the bonds forged between those who would live and breathe for each other and yet she knew at the moment, it existed by the filmiest threads. "He lost his wife and son about the same time I lost..." she paused a moment and rephrased her words. "At the same I  _thought_  I lost Stephen and since then, we've been each other's support when the stiff upper lip we try to show everyone starts to quiver." 

"I see." Alex nodded understanding a great deal more than Mary gave her credit. "How do you feel about him?" 

"He's my friend." She responded just a little too quickly. "He always seems to know what to say when I need to hear it the most. I guess that's the whole Jedi thing." 

"Probably." Alex shrugged. "I get the impression its more than that for him though. I think he cares about you a great deal." 

"I don't feel anything for him."

"Come on Mare," Alex looked at her in disbelief. Alex only called her that when she knew Mary was lying to her. "You wouldn't be sitting here as if someone shot your heart to pieces if you didn't care." 

"What are you trying to do?" Mary barked when Alex hit too close too home. "We're going to find out if my husband is alive and you want to discuss my non-existent feelings for a Jedi Knight? A Jedi Knight of all things!" She cried out in exasperation. 

"Mary," Alex returned just as firmly because there was too much between them for Alex to ever be afraid of Commander Travis. "Stephen was considered dead for a year! He's my brother and even I moved on because I believed he was dead. You have no reason to feel ashamed for anything you might feel for this Jedi."

"Stop calling him that!" She snapped. "His name is CHRIS!" 

Alex fell silent after the outburst and for a few minutes Mary did not know what to say because her declaration only proved Alex's point. She did care about him a great deal, enough to shout down the oldest friend because he was being spoken about as just another Jedi. He was not just another Jedi, he was Chris Larabee, her friend! She felt ashamed and angry.

"This isn't fair!" Mary cried out, revealing herself to the only person who knew her before she was Commander Travis. "I was just starting to put it all behind me, to get through the day not wanting to tell Stephen about some stupid thing that happened in my day. I should be happy to know that Stephen is alive but I'm not! I'm so twisted inside, I can't even think straight! I don't know what to do because of..." 

"Because of Chris." Alex finished off for her.

She paused a moment as she gathered her thoughts, trying to think of the best way to advise her friend. After a second, Alex felt she had some of the words to give Mary some kind of comfort.

"Mary I can't imagine what you're going through at this moment and I'm not even going to try. All I'm going to tell you is that there comes a time when you have to make a choice and if we find Stephen, it will come down to that, you having to make a choice. The life we've chosen for ourselves leaves very little for anything else so what little there is, which isn't for the cause, should not be wasted. You're the most responsible person I know, you'd sacrifice just about anything if the reason demand it but I also know that at some point, what you want inside here," she pointed to her heart, "has to take preference. You can only give up so much of yourself before you start losing  _you_  completely and if you allow that to happen, you're no good to yourself or anyone else." 

Mary blinked and a tear rolled down her cheek. "I feel him you know." 

Alex knew she didn't mean Stephen. 

"I feel him even when he's not around. A few weeks ago, he went face to face with Darth Vader and even though I was on a ship light years away, I felt him slip away and I never though I could feel so afraid in my life at just the thought of him being gone. Ever since then, he's been in here somewhere. I think he does it because he can keep me safe." Her voice was almost like a child trying to find absolution with a god she did not understand. 

"Look," Alex swallowed. "We have no real idea whether or not Stephen is alive. We have information but information from this kind of a source is not entirely reliable, so we could be wrong. Maybe the best thing for you right now, is not to think about this until after we know for certain." 

Mary dried her tears and took a deep breath. "You're right. Let's concentrate on what we're going to do once we get to the Corporate Sector. Any ideas?" 

Mary had not considered her plans beyond getting out of the rebel base and making their way to the Corporate Sector. She never anticipated having to do this on her own, expecting to be on the bridge of the _Purgatory_ when she finally went to confront Black Sun. In truth, she knew she was deluding herself because the Alliance was only being sensible when they refused her permission to go after her husband. She was a valuable asset to their organization and a  _very_  big liability if she were to fall into Imperial hands. Aside from all the information they would have to damn near kill her to extract, Mary knew her demise would be a severe blow on morale. For the first time, she began to see the consequences of her departure. 

"I have a few contacts on Duroon," Alex explained as she outlined the brief plan she concocted since the decision was made by Mary for them to rescue Stephen alone. "We'll have to pay the usual bribes to the Secret Police and Authority personnel to look the other way of course but I think we can get us some fake identity papers. I'm going to claim we're criminals trying to hide out, anything but rebels. Once we're set with identities, we'll have to approach Black Sun from the inside. There is no way we can reach Stephen unless we infiltrate them." 

"How do we do that?" Mary asked, starting to appreciate what a monumental task she had set for herself and Alex in this rescue attempt. 

"Oh that's easy." Alex looked at her with a little smile. "We go ask them for jobs." 

"Jobs?" Mary exclaimed. "Doing what?" 

"Well if I recall correctly," Alex stared at her old friend. "You're pretty good with a blaster and you have been known to kick some ass in your time." 

"Yes I've heard that," Mary smiled faintly. "You want us to go in as hired guns?" 

"No other way," Alex retorted. "She only hires women." 

"She?" Mary noted the way Alex spoke about the woman and there was a thin line of something Mary could almost call  fear running through her words. However, Alex was rarely afraid of anything. The woman had more nerve then sense. 

"Yes," Alex nodded wondering if any words could prepared Mary for their eventual meeting with the leader of Black Sun. "Lauren Chase. When you meet her, be afraid and don't underestimate her. If we're caught, what the Empire would do to us will be nothing in comparison to what this woman is capable of." 

"That bad?" Mary shuddered. 

"No," Alex shook her head. "Worse. "

 


	7. The Jofan Uprising

The  _Rogue's_  stay on Cordoba after its arrival on the planet was brief. The Corsair's tenure on the most populous world in the Territory, better known as Wild Space, lasted for as long as it took for Buck Wilmington to land the ship and pick up the last _Rogue's_ passenger, Ezra Standish. As anticipated, the Alliance had charged Josiah Sanchez to retrieve Mary Travis at any costs, preferably before she fell into Imperial hands, which was their greatest fear at present. Although the main ranks of the rebels were shocked to find out their leader had departed on a personal crusade, most were confident that she would succeed in her mission, which would only add more fire to her legend. The Alliance hierarchy was not as enamoured by her mythological status amongst her staff and Josiah could see disciplinary action would be pending if they ever brought Mary back in one piece.

Once Ezra was on board, the  _Rogue_  wasted no time leaving Cordoba. Being an active part of the Rebel Alliance made Buck doubly conscious of anyone who might recognise him or his ship. It would only take one word from an informant and the Empire would start combing the planet and the system in search of them. With the nature of their mission ahead, it was wise to remain anonymous for the time being. The situation was difficult enough without the added complication of Imperials seeking them out as well.  

Ezra boarded the  _Rogue_  in civilian clothing, having left word to his surbordinates at the Cordoba outpost he was taking leave in order to deal with some personal business with his mother in the Corporate Sector. If there  _were_  spies, they would be hard pressed to trace his departure from the world since he had not taken any of the normal transports but that was how he desired it. Ironically, he had meant to lose himself on some pleasure planet for the duration of his time away but somehow, fate decided that he would be making the trip to the Corporate Sector after all. 

"So am I to understand Mary has opted to go AWOL?" Ezra inquired once the  _Rogue_  was in the safety of hyperspace. The ship left Cordoba without incident and had jumped into hyperspace shortly after, on course for the Corporate Sector the other side of the galaxy.

"Something like that." Nathan responded after Ezra was appraised of the situation since they needed his help navigating the uncertain waters of the Corporate Sector worlds. 

"Is there actual confirmation Stephen Travis is alive?" He asked as they were all gathered inside the main passenger cabin of the _Rogue_ , discussing the situation. 

"We received the information when one of our agents intercepted a message transmitted from the Imperial listening post in the Corporate Sector." Josiah answered. 

Mention of Alexandra Styles brought another snort of derision from Vin Tanner who was once again, seated before his still unassembled cache of light sabre components trying to make another attempt at putting the weapon together. 

"Will you knock it off already?" Nathan looked over his shoulder. "What is it with you every time that woman's name is mentioned?" 

"Yeah Vin," even JD had to add his own observation. "What is it with you and her?" 

"Judging by the way he's behaving," Buck said with a little smirk. "I'd say a troubled love life." 

"There's nothing like that going on!" Vin snapped in annoyance, mostly because Buck was always so damn accurate about these things. "I'm just pissed off because she took my ship!" 

"Sure you are." Buck said with a completely straight face. 

"Can we please get to back to the subject." Josiah frowned. Like Chris, he was too worried about Mary to be able to indulge in this harmless ribbing. 

"Sorry," Buck apologized. "The fact is Ezra, all we know is that Black Sun made an offer to the Empire to deliver Stephen Travis for ten million credits." 

"Pray tell it is not Black Sun who has him." Ezra looked around the grim faces and realised it was true. 

"Chase." Vin confirmed.  

"Chase." Ezra nodded in realisation. 

"You know much about her?" Buck asked. 

"Rumours mostly but there had been a number of bodies to substantiate them." Ezra answered, learning back into his seat. "According to my mother, Chase was a mistress of one of the gang lords who moved into the Corporate Sector. Naurev Sig was one of the pioneers so to speak. When that area of space was first charted and found to be devoid of any intelligent species despite containing some of the richest worlds in the galaxy, the scramble for profit was naturally made. Those first surveyors formed the Corporate Sector Authority. Criminal gangs wanting to escape the stranglehold of the Hutt gang lords were also forced to retreat to the Corporate Sector and were able to strike some kind of alliance with the Authority. The business of the Corporate Sector is profit, nothing else." 

"If it's so rich, why doesn't the Empire take it?" JD inquired, knowing almost nothing about the Corporate Sector, having been bound to Odete for most of his life until recently.  

"Well it is almost impossible to police." Ezra explained. "It is situated on the outer spiral arm of the galaxy. The locals and smugglers call it Star's End. The nearest Imperial installation is at Ithor and that is mostly to guard the Hydian Way from smugglers who attempt to slice through the core worlds to bypass customs and Imperial checkpoints. The listening post the Senator mentioned a moment ago is a token presence on Etti IV, the main center of commerce and industry in the Corporate Sector."

"I thought it was Duroon." Buck declared. 

"No, Duroon is a port for show. It has all the earmarks of legitimate business for visitors, so the Imperial Governor does not decide to recommend to Palpatine it annex the Corporate Sector. It has some semblance of law and order but the real power is in Etti IV." 

"Is that where Black Sun is?" Chris Larabee spoke for the first time. The Jedi had been sitting quietly for most of the trip, his gaze fixed on the small portal giving him a glimpse of hyperspace beyond the ship. 

"No." Ezra shook his head. "For that, we will have to make some discreet inquiries. As I said, Laurel Chase emerged from nowhere as Nuarev Sig's mistress. I have not seen the lady myself but from all accounts she is said to be beautiful." 

"Beautiful?" Buck's interest immediately sparked.

"Attaboy Buck," Nathan rolled his eyes. "Always keeping things in perspective." 

"It might do well for you gentlemen to prepare yourself," Ezra retorted in a serious tone. "She is not only meant to be beautiful but extraordinarily so. When she stepped into Sig's life, he was completely smitten. Rumour had it she had designs on taking over Black Sun from the minute of her arrival but Sig was too enamoured by her to see the danger. By the time he died,  _supposedly_  of old age, she had more or less replaced most of his trusted lieutenants with her own people." 

"Women." Vin stated, looking up from the components he was trying to solder together. "She only hires women and really pretty ones too." 

"Pretty ones?" Buck stated. 

"Is he normally like this?" Ezra asked no one in particular. 

"Oh every second or so," JD remarked with a grin. 

"I see Inez was not exaggerating when she commented on your prowess with the ladies." Ezra said with a little smile. 

"How would she know?" Buck returned sourly, reminded now Ezra was dating his ex-wife and not liking it one damn bit. "I never cheated on her! You know it's just like Inez to make things up about when we were married." 

"She made no such statement." Ezra retorted, coming quickly to her defence. "She merely claimed that lately, you had been quite the paramour of the stars." 

"What about Chase herself?" Chris asked, brushing aside all incidental conversation and getting back on track. "What do we know about her?" 

"Aside from the fact she is extremely handsome, she is meant to be highly intelligent. The narcotic Fire, which is selling like wildfire across the galaxy, was a concoction of her own making. In fact much of Black Sun's narcotic inventory are designer drugs she has created. The Hutts have been attempting to learn the process for years but Chase keeps its manufacture a closely guarded secret." 

"And Mary's headed straight for her." Josiah whispered unhappily. 

"I would not be too worried about Commander Travis," Ezra remarked, "the Hero of Jofa has proven numerous times she is quite capable of acquitting herself." 

"What do you keep calling her that?" JD asked. "I've heard people mentioning it but no one wants to talk much about it." 

"There's good reason for that." Josiah sighed. "Mary wouldn't be impressed if they called her that to her face." 

"Why not?" JD looked at the others puzzled and saw Ezra, Josiah, Nathan and Chris knew the story behind that auspicious title. 

"When Palpatine took over, he began consolidating his forces into a single cohesive military war machine. Before that, the Republic's armed forces were basically composed of all member races and while they operated as one unit, their loyalties were always in danger of splintering. Palpatine decided to eliminate the problem when the Empire came into being." Josiah explained, since he was able to provide an eyewitness account. "With the creation of the Imperial fleet, there were no more planetary affiliations, Coruscant and the Emperor were to be the focus of their loyalties. In the past, participation in military defence of the Republic was a voluntary issue, Palpatine made it mandatory." 

"Yes," Ezra sighed as he and Nathan met each other's gaze, remembering the changing of the guard, having to shed their Republic uniforms to wear Imperial black. "It was only the beginning." 

"Jofa is a planet of water breathers," Josiah resumed his narration. "They were one of the most gentle races in the galaxy. Since Jofa is covered entirely in water, the Jofans exist on the ocean floor. They built great coral cities and thrived as most civilizations untouched by outside forces usually do. When the first explorers came to Jofa a thousand years ago, they were greeted with open arms and found the Jofans very curious about the planets beyond their own. Because they evolved in an entirely oceanic environment, space travel was not possible for them, so they built the Pavilions. Huge cities encased in glass domes, where they could emerge briefly with the aid of aquatic breathers and get to know visitors from other worlds." 

"I went there when I was a cadet." Nathan remarked with a sad smile. "It was beautiful." 

"So what happened?" Vin found himself asking. 

"The Empire." Chris said coldly. "The Empire happened." 

"Palpatine decided to conscript Jofans into military service, to fight on other worlds with similar environments. They were pacifists, so they refused. In retaliation for their disobedience, Palpatine destroyed the Pavilions. The Jofans had existed for the past 1000 years with air breathers. In a strange symbiosis, they considered air breathers a part of their race and culture. They considered native-born air breathers  their ambassadors to the stars. When the Pavilions were destroyed, all the Breathers were wiped out. The Jofans who survived the massacre were outraged, even more so when Palpatine placed an Imperial force to take charge and rebuild their Central Pavilion."

"Hell." Buck whispered in open horror. 

"When the Imperial presence in Jofa was reaching its inauguration ceremony, extremists decided they would rather destroy the Pavilion than allow Palpatine to rule them after what he had done. The city was filled with Imperial civilians, most of them were workers who had been rebuilding the dome. When the water started rising, a lot of people died, including Imperial troops. Mary and Alex were stationed on board the  _Heart of Gold_ , she was first officer then. Their captain was killed and she found herself the only command officer left. It was Mary who held the line against the Jofans while the survivors were being evacuated to the surface. The Swimmers were preparing to attack in numbers to kill everyone. Mary and a hundred soldiers defended what was later called the Jofan Insurrection. I think she was one of fifteen that survived." 

"Fifteen?" JD exclaimed. 

"She managed to hold the liine until all the civilians were evacuated to the surface but she was almost killed herself. If it were not for Alex, Mary would have been one of the casualties." Josiah replied. 

It suddenly made sense to the men in the room why Alex had stood steadfastly by Mary, no matter how dangerous the idea of rescuing Stephen might be. None of them could deny they would so the same thing themselves. 

"And that's why they call her the Hero of Jofa." Josiah concluded. 

"So why is she so strange about talking about it?" JD questioned, seeing nothing in Mary's actions that was cause for her to be ashamed of her part in the events on Jofa. She had saved lives and fought a battle against great numbers. Why was it such a point of contention? 

"Because," Chris said quietly, "after the insurrection, Palpatine sent the Empire in and wiped out the rest of the Jofans. There is  _no_   Jofan people any more. Breather or Swimmer." 

* * *

The warning lights on the cockpit controls of the _Tracker_ lit up in front of Alexandra Styles indicating they were about to jump out of light speed. She glanced over her shoulder to check up on Mary's progress and could not see the rebel leader behind her.  

"Mary." Alex sang out as she went through the motions of bringing the ship back into normal space. "We're about to enter the Corporate Sector Authority." She announced. "You ready?" 

"As I'll ever be." Mary responded stepping into the cockpit and presented herself. Her blond hair had cut into a neat bob over her shoulders and its flaxen color disguised by jet-black dye. She completed the process by applying the same procedure to her eyebrows and darkening her skin with some pigment. Also gone was her rebel uniform and now Mary was wearing one of Alex's body suits, a skin-tight outfit in dark blue. Although she still looked very much human, at least she did not look at all like Mary Travis. 

"Wow." Alex let out a low whistle. "You look fantastic, not to mention seriously wicked."  

"I feel like I ought to be charging by the hour." Mary frowned, touching her hair uncertainly and feeling little discontented that her long hair had to be sacrificed. 

"You look great," Alex chuckled facing front again. "I almost didn't recognise you." 

"What about you?" Mary asked sliding into the co-pilot's seat. "Are you going to wear a disguise?" 

"No need," Alex shrugged. "I got more identity papers than I know what to do with and after I became an agent, the slicers at the Alliance planted a nice little worm program in Coruscant's systems, erasing any record of my existence from all its data banks. They may know my name but they have no visual record to go with it."

"Convenient." Mary noted as she eased into her chair and glanced at her friend. "So, you want to tell me now how you manage to get past Vin Tanner?" 

Alex glanced at her sharply. "I just  _knocked_  him out." 

"So why do you look so guilty when you say that?" Mary leaned forward, narrowing her eyes as she gave her friend a long stare. 

"Guilty!" Alex scoffed. "I am not guilty. I have nothing to be guilty about." 

"Then answer the question without twitching." Mary challenged, needing to feel some amusement despite what they were about to face when they arrived at Etti IV. She needed to talk about something else other than Stephen and Chris. 

"Alright!" Alex grumbled. "He kissed me, okay?" 

"Vin kissed you?" A voice that was not Mary's squealed in surprise. 

Both women turned to look and found themselves staring at Casey Well, standing at the doorway to the cockpit. 

"Casey!" Mary exclaimed aghast. "What are you doing here?" 

"I'm sorry Mary," Casey quickly came forward to explain. "I saw her trying to steal Vin's ship so I followed her." She turned her eyes on Alex, giving the operative an accusatory look. 

"Who  _is_  this kid?" Alex asked Mary. 

"Alex," Mary sighed, unable to believe  Casey was here or what she was going to do about it. "This is Casey Wells, one of our newer recruits. Casey, this is  _Commander_  Alexandra Styles of covert intelligence."

"You mean like a secret agent!" Casey gushed in eagerly.  

"Not a very good one to be zeroed by a kid," Alex muttered, mortified she had been followed by a child without any inkling of it. 

"Oh no, you were very good." Casey quickly returned. "I wouldn't have noticed if you didn't go near Vin's ship. He doesn't like anyone messing around with it. Did he really kiss you?" She said all this in one breath. 

"This humiliation knows no end." Alex groaned and looked at Mary. "We have a serious security problem." 

"Casey, you cannot stay." Mary faced the young woman. "We're about to embark upon something very dangerous." 

"Oh Mary I know," Casey responded. "I didn't mean to stow away but when I saw her breaking into Vin's ship, I waited until after she left and went into the cargo hold to wait and see what she was doing. I must have fallen asleep because when I woke up I heard you both talking about your husband and I didn't know what to do so I just stayed put." 

"But found compelled to speak when you heard Vin kissed me." Alex responded. "What is he your boyfriend or something?" 

"Vin?" Casey exclaimed as if that was the most ludicrous thing she had ever heard. "No, I means he's older than me but he's sweet and so polite and he's always nice to me, not like that stupid JD Dunne..." 

"Please say we were nothing like this when we were seventeen." Alex glanced at Mary as Casey began to grumble openly about what a pain JD was. 

"I tried not to think too much about it." Mary responded, rubbing her brow as she tried to think a way out of this sudden new development. "Besides, I would have come out for that remark about Vin too, I mean you have to admit it was pretty interesting."  

"I'm glad you find this so amusing." Alex declared. "What are we going to do with her? We can't take her into Etti IV." 

"I know," Mary nodded. "But we can't send her back either." 

"I can help!" Casey cried out. "If there's a system you need to get into or anything that needs hardwiring, I'm your girl!"  

"Mary," Alex ignored her. "This is dangerous." 

"I know," Mary answered. "But we don't have a choice. The best thing we can do is keep her with us or on the ship." 

"Can she pilot?" Alex asked. 

"I can learn!"  

"Oh hell." The operative began to groan. 

"Alex, we'll manage." Mary said firmly. "I'll think of something." 

Alex and Mary held each other's eyes for a long while and Alex knew if Mary made that promise, then it would happen. They had come this far because Mary was able to deliver her promises. In the end, her faith in Mary Travis would always win the day. Looking at Casey, Alex let out a deep sigh.

"Strap yourself into a seat. We're about to come out of hyperspace." Alex met Mary's eyes with a smile. 

"Oh thank you so much!" Casey cried out again. "I promise I won't get in the way!" 

"I hope you know what you're doing." Alex shook her head before facing front as Casey placed herself in one of the passenger seats behind them. 

"So," Casey asked after settling in again. "What happened when Vin kissed you?" 

Alex gave Mary a dark look and said in a low voice. "I'm going to get you for this." 

 


	8. Maude

Chris let his gaze sweep across the city of Etti IV upon leaving the  _Rogue_  in the spaceport behind them.

Unlike Cordoba, Etti IV was not a community put together in any random arrangement. The men who was responsible for its construction, wanted a city whose splendour was comparable the contemporary designs of Coruscant, as well being an oasis in the wilderness of Star's End. It had succeeded in a small way, Chris decided as he saw a skyline serrated with the tops of spires, office buildings and lavishly designed skyscrapers. Hover cars whisked about the tree lined streets and people went about their business, like they did anywhere in the core worlds, oblivious to all except those who might make them profit, which was the main reason for being in here at all. 

Beyond the boundaries of the Etti IV, was nothing but a bland landscape travelling as far as the eye could see. Doily looking ornithoids glided across the watery blue sky, pausing long enough in the sand to be devoured by the sand feeders, ravenous creatures who hid beneath the dunes with their jaws agape, until some foolish victim chose to cross what it though to be just another odd shape stone formation. It was a place incapable of supporting human life and not his first choice for the establishment of vast city. Unfortunately, according to _Rogue's_ directories, this world sat in the heart of Star's End and provided a central convergence point for all ventures that transpired in this place. 

"We should get off the street." Chris heard Vin Tanner remark after a few seconds in the open. Vin reacted just as they all had to the presence of the trio of Espos, Secret Police, walking past. Espos, no doubt abbreviated from some ostentatious official title, had the same powers in the Corporate Sector as Imperial Stormtroopers and it was a wise not to draw their attention.  

"Where to Ezra?" Nathan asked. "You're the expert." 

"As much as I may detest it, I think we shall visit my mother." Ezra said reluctantly. 

"Your mother lives here?" JD asked with no particular intent behind his question, other than curiosity. The youth was still new enough to space travel to be fascinated by every port they visited since joining the Rebel Alliance. His eyes were studying everything and the others had become accustomed to his wide eye observations.

"Yes," Ezra answered. "After her contract was done with the Hutts, she took her sizeable fortune and come here to become an entrepreneur, if I recollect her words correctly." 

"I don't know why you get so embarrassed about her Ezra," Nathan said disapprovingly. "I know she's a little bit of a con artist, for that matter so are you but Maude don't hurt no one who never asked for it." 

"I'm sure your judgement would be similarly stellar if she were your mother." Ezra gave his oldest friend a look. 

"So where is she?" Chris spoke up with a tone in his voice that indicated this idle chatter was not bringing them any closer to Mary.

Ezra could sense the tension in the Jedi, like the rest of his companions and decided it was probably prudent if they made hastier progress for the sake of the man's sanity. "Fortunately," Ezra looked at Chris. "She is not too far away from our present location so we will not be needing the services of a hover car." 

"So what does your mother do for a living?" Buck inquired as they crossed the street into something of a boulevard flanked by trendy shops, sporting everything from clothing to exotic pets.

"She owns a bistro called  _Standish Room Only_." Ezra announced as Buck's eyes followed two leggy human females walking past them on the sidewalk. 

"Wait a minute," Vin spoke immediately. "I know that place. I had to get my payoff on a job there once, its not a bistro, its a entertainment club." 

"An entertainment club?" JD asked, once again showing his inexperience. 

"Yeah," Buck grinned. "That means we're talking about gaming lounges, dance floors with rich, idle women, some places have stage shows for the customers and did I say women? Lots of women." He put an arm JD's shoulder an offered the younger man a little smile. "Maybe while Ezra and the others are conducting their business, we might see to putting some whiskers on that baby chin of yours."

"Settle down big fella." Chris gave his friend a look because just the thought made JD shudder with fear. "We're here to find Mary." He reminded Buck.

 "Sorry," Buck made a quick apology and shrugged his shoulders in JD's direction. "Next time kid." 

"Fine by me," JD returned in irritation. "And I do have whiskers on my chin." 

"No you have peach fuzz." The older man teased. 

"As much as I hate to interrupt this intellectually stimulating conversation," Ezra broke into the two's conversation. "I believe we are here."

The  _Standish Room Only_   establishment was definitely not a bistro.

Even though it was barely evening, a steady stream of customers were departing and entering the place. Nor was it any dive as evidenced by its opulent decor. Glass facades gleamed from the departing sunlight and as they approached the automatic doors, a gust of cool air-conditioned air greeted them from the interior. The gentle bass thumping of music could be heard through the glass walls, not to mention the cacophony of voices in utter revelry. 

"I am impressed." Nathan declared, unable to remember when the last time he had been in such a place and then remembered it was probably the last time he was Imperial officers. The life of a rebel did not allow the opportunity for such luxuries. "Maude always knew how to do things with class." 

"Yes she does," Ezra begrudgingly admitted as they entered the place and was greeted by a statuesque, auburn pelted Wookie bouncer who kept watch on the patrons and ensured that no one got rowdy lest they wanted to be the focus of its attention. "If you gentleman will find yourselves a table, I will go find my dear mother in all this."

"No problem." Buck retorted as Ezra drew away, his eyes already focussing on a table occupied with a bevy of beautiful women clad in chryosilk and other luminescent material, giving him come hither looks.

"Someone hold onto Buck." Vin joked. 

"Very funny." Buck gave the apprentice Jedi a short glare. "Ezra said to mingle." 

"He said to grab a table and wait." Nathan retorted and grabbed Buck gently by the arm and towed him away from his drift towards the ladies.

"Hey look, they got Starfight games!" JD exclaimed as he glanced in the direction of the gaming room and found that aside from the countless sabaac tables were also one on one games like Mind Jam, Reflex Races and Senso Switch."

 "I got him," Josiah remarked tugging JD by the collar before the young man gave in to his impulses. 

"But...but...but..." JD started to say as Josiah guided him to an empty table.  

No sooner than they sat down, a curvaceous native of Ulan 2 came up to their table in order to get their order for drinks. She trailed a soft plume of dark auburn feathers behind her as she sauntered to them, her skin hidden by the luxuriously delicate covering of white feathers that tapered into her bird like face with wide, indigo coloured eyes. A small metallic translator  hidden away in the folds of white allowed her chirps to be understood. She was one of many non-human types in the establishment. There was so many the six men, except for maybe Josiah had trouble identifying from which planet some of these eclectic sentients originated. Respirators, odd shaped drinking utensils were provided for those who required more than the conventional cutlery and atmosphere could provide. Strobe lights flashed in their direction from the nearby dance floor where a bubble of low gravity was activated so dancers would appear graceful and light on their feat when they moved. 

"This is my next vacation spot." Buck said firmly.  

"We don't get vacations in the Rebel Alliance," Nathan reminded with a smile. "Remember you're a patriot."

"In your dreams." Buck retorted as he went back to entertaining himself with the establishment's fine selection of female patrons, performers and employees.

"Ezra's mother must be doing quite well." Josiah remarked, taking another look at the place. "Its not even evening." 

"Well Maude was always a shrewd business woman." Nathan remarked as the same Ulanite waitress returned and served them their drinks. She always knew how to make gold from nothing."

"Hey there's Ezra." JD pointed out and the group cast their gaze in the direction of the Imperial officer approaching their table with a very handsome woman of vintage at his arm. Although the resemblance between the two undoubtedly gave away their relationship, she certainly did not look like anyone's mother. A tasteful shimmersilk dress clung to her body, showing quite firmly that keeping her figure was not a problem and her golden hair with little signs of grey, was mounted on top of her head in a stylish twist. It made all that viewed her wonder how spectacular she must have looked in her younger years. 

"That's his mother?" Buck exclaimed with obvious approval. 

"It appears so." Chris muttered, having to admit Maude Standish did keep her age well but he could not be as appreciative as the others because his thoughts were too cantered on Mary to be so easily distracted by the obvious charms of the  _Standish Room Only_  owner _._

"Nathan!" Maude gushed seeing him. Nathan stood up and was immediately on the receiving end of a warm hug. She paused a moment from her happy greeting to give him a more serious look. "How have you been?" 

Nathan knew that she was referring to how he was getting on since Ana's death for Maude had been there at his wedding, with Ezra as best man. "I'm surviving."

"I see," Maude nodded, giving him a look of sympathy and obvious affection.

"Mother, may I introduce you to my friends," Ezra started running off the names of his companion when Josiah Sanchez stood up and make his own introduction.

 "It's been a long time Maude." Josiah said with a smile.

"As I live and breathe, Josiah Sanchez! What are you doing in this neck of the woods, Senator?" She asked as Josiah took her hand and kissed it gently on the knuckle. 

"Mother?" Ezra asked suspiciously as he saw the long, wistful gazes being passed between the two old 'acquaintances'. "Have you two met?" 

"I'd say that's a distinct possibility." Nathan remarked, just as surprised by the reaction. 

"Oh darling," Maude looked up at Ezra, Josiah still holding his hand much to the Imperial officers chagrin. "Josiah and I go way back. Before your father in fact." 

"Just how much did you con me out of?" Josiah gave her a warm look. 

"I believe I won those fifty credits from you Senator, fair and square." She returned his gaze with mischievous wink before Josiah pulled up a chair for them to join them. 

"This galaxy is becoming all too small for my liking," Ezra grumbled as he sat down, not at all liking the way Maude was looking at Josiah. In the years past, there had always been suitors, a woman as beautiful as Maude could not expect less but she always viewed those suitors as conquests to be made, not paramours worthy of her. The way she looked at Josiah was different and the commander of the Cordoba base did not know whether or not he ought to be happy about this reunion. 

"Ma'am, this is a mighty fine place you have here." Buck found he had to comment on this before they discuss anything further. 

"Why thank you Buck," she smiled and then her eyes met Chris. "I did not think there were many of you left." She did not need to say Jedi but Chris could tell clearly that was what she meant without having to use the Force to read her thoughts.

"There are a few of us." Chris said politely, no wish to discuss that subject on any level. 

"So Ezra," Maude turned her attention to her son. "I did as you asked, I sent your base on Cordoba that message. You care to tell me what it is you're involved in?"

"It is probably best that you don't know Maude," Josiah interjected smoothly. 

"Oh Ezra," Maude shook her head in disapproval. "You could have been the best around, for you to be wasting your god given talents on the military and now Krix only knows what, it just breaks my heart."

"Mother..." Ezra had no wish to get into this with her right now. He knew she was stilll disappointed he did not follow her into the business but the point of his enrolment into the Academy was for that very reason. 

"Maude we need your help," Josiah responded rescuing Ezra from any further discussion on his career choices. "We need to find out how to get to Black Sun." 

Maude's eyes widened in shock. "Are you insane, all of you?" She asked in a low voice and then turned to Ezra. "Darling, you are not involved in this hazardous escapade are you?" 

"Brace yourself," he gave her fair warning. 

"Oh Ezra," she grumbled again, disappointment clearly showing in her features. 

"Do you know how to find them?" Chris asked in cool, soothing voice that seemed to end any further argument. Maude nodded slowly, as if hypnotized by his voice. Chris hated using his powers on her this way but he had no choice. His patience had run out.

"Yes," she said almost dreamily. "There's a man named..."

* * *

 

"Kelso." Alex forced the well-known snitch back into his booth in the dark corner of the bar she and Mary had entered a few seconds ago. 

This place was not at all luxurious but came with dark corners and odd smells reeking of booze, inadequate respirators for non-oxygen breathing life forms, and a host of narcotics that were sold under the table. The dim lighting kept its clientele partially obscured but not from someone like Alex who dealt in shadows and knew where to look. Kelso's reputation among the underworld was well known. He was a bunko artist who was more proficient in information gathering than the art of the con. The weaselly little man was having a meal when Alex and Mary happened upon him. Upon seeing the two-armed women approaching him, Kelso had tried to make a run for it but could not get past Alex. 

"What do you want?" The man asked nervously as Alex slid into the booth with him on one side while Mary took the other flanking position. His protests did not become so vocal when Alex jammed her gun into his stomach under the table. Around them, the other patrons of the bar who were engaged in activities almost as illegal if not more than simple coercion, ignored the trio of humans. 

"Information." Alex said simply. 

"I don't know nothing." 

"Now that's not what we hear Kelso," Mary remarked smoothly. "They say that if there's news to be had in this town, you're our man." 

"They're wrong." Kelso answered starting to twitch. "I'm just an honest businessman." 

"Whose got more scams running that usually end up fizzling then any other 'honest businessmen' in the quadrant." Alex hissed. "Now, you're needing a sure thing about now Kelso, so I'm going to give you a hand." 

"A hand?" He looked at her in puzzlement.  

"Yeah," the operative narrowed her eyes and stared at him with a menacing look. "If you don't tell us what we need to know, I'm going to kill your right here and now because you're not use to me alive if you can't give me information. Is that a sure enough thing for you?" She punctuated her threat by tightening her finger around the trigger of her gun. 

"I guess so," the man said reluctantly, having little choice to concede to the argument considering that his refusal would most likely see his innards spread out across the booth. "What do you want to know?" he asked, licking his lips. 

"Black Sun." 

As soon as he heard the word pass her lips, Kelso stood up abruptly in fear. "No way," he declared with an unprecedented surge of bravery. "I ain't crossing swords with Chase, I ain't getting fed to no kryat dragon." 

"Sit down." Alex ordered once more, pulling him down and quashing any ideas he might have he was walking out of here without giving them any information. "You won't be crossing swords with Chase. All we want to know is where to find her. We hear she hires female talent. We want to take her our resumes personally." 

Kelso found himself in an untenable situation. If he did not give these two women what they wanted, he was sure they would kill him right this minute. Of course, if news leaked back to Black Sun he had talked, he would also be just as dead. No matter how he looked at it, he was in a no-win situation. Finally, he opted for the extension his life from this point on.

"Okay, okay," he grumbled and took a big gulp of his drink. "You won't tell her where you got your info?"

"No," Mary answered before Alex could. "If you give us what we want, you're involvement is over. We won't tell her anything. We just want to meet her personally." 

It was not much of a guarantee but at this point, he had little choice in the matter. "I don't know nothing fore sure except  Chase likes to move around a lot."

That much was consistent with what Alex knew personally about the woman. Laurel Chase had made a lot of enemies in her time and it did not surprise Alex she would opt for a secret base of operations. "Go on." 

Kelso twitched anxiously before he started speak. "All I know is that her last boyfriend was a Baron or something on Orron 3. When she had him snuffed out, she took over the place and moved Black Sun in there." 

"Orron 3," Alex frowned, recognizing the name. 

"You know it?" Mary asked. 

"Yeah," Alex nodded. "It's no more than a day's journey from here." She answered. However, she was not happy that Orron 3 was also notable as the last star system before passing the galactic rim into the void that existed between their galaxy and its nearest neighbour.  

"You better be right about this." She turned to Kelso and poked the barrel of her gun deeper into his side. "If you're sending us on some wild snipe hunt, I guarantee you'll regret it when we get back." 

"I'm telling you the truth!" He insisted. "That's all I know!" 

"Okay Kelso," Mary met Alex's gaze and indicated it was time to go. "It's been a pleasure doing business with you." She said sliding out of the booth. Alex lingered long enough for Mary to have her hand poised over her own gun, in case Kelso decided to do anything stupid, before withdrawing her own weapon and moving away from the snitch.

The two women strode out of the bar, garnering appreciative glances as they sauntered towards the door. Neither of them spoke until they were well and truly beyond the dank surroundings of the establishment and back into the setting warmth of Etti IV's daylight.  

"You think he was telling the truth?" Mary asked as they made their way back to the spaceport where the  _Tracker_  was berthed in a restricted bay paid handsomely by Alex to maintain their anonymity and where Casey Wells was still seething from being confined to the ship while they took care of business.  

"He was too terrified to lie." Alex said coolly.  

"Tell me," Mary found herself asking. "Would you have shot him if he didn't tell us?" 

Alex looked at her with a little smile and replied. "Hell no, but he would have had a good scar to remember us by."


	9. Landing

According to Maude Standish, Black Sun kept its location a  secret from most.

Laurel Chase was said to have many enemies, Hutts notwithstanding and often moved her base of operations from place to place, never allowing those who would harm her, a reliable target at which they could strike. However, like all secrets, there was always someone trading in information and who was privy to more than was commonly known. While Maude rarely had reason to employ the talents of such men these days, she did know of their existence and pointed the seven in the direction of a local snitch named Kelso. 

By the time seven arrived at Kelso’s usual haunt, the man had already concluded his discussion with Mary Travis and Alex Styles regarding the location of Black Sun. Chris entered the seedy dive and immediately knew the man they were seeking by shifting through the conundrum of emotions emanating from the patrons of the establishment, to capture the flash of memory in Kelso’s mind at the unmistakable visage of Mary Travis. While Kelso had no suspicion regarding who he had spoken to, Chris saw a face that was Mary’s but not quite Mary’s either. It would have been a source of great discontent if he had not realized Mary would have been too astute to embark on a crusade like this without taking some precautions to hide her identity. 

Despite having missed Mary and Alex by what appeared to be a matter of hours, Kelso was still able to furnish them with the same information he had provided the two rebel commanders. It did not even require coercion when the same method used on Maude Standish was also employed by Chris on the snivelling Mr. Kelso. Less than fifteen minutes after their arrival into the tavern, the seven were on their way out of it, this time headed for the spaceport. If there were lucky, the _Tracker_ might not have departed yet. If it had, then they would be departing for Orron 3.

"What do we know about Orron 3?" Josiah inquired as the entered the confines of the space port with its menagerie of different alien species, bound by a similar state of transit.

"It is a barony." Ezra explained. "Nothing much in the way of profit but someone with dreams of a title established something of a colony there about 120 years ago. I believe it is mostly an agricultural world and earns its lot by providing sustenance to the rest of the worlds in Stars End. In its way it is wealthy but not exactly the most sought out place for tourists. Unfortunately, it has the dubious honour of being last star system before the galactic rim. Being so far away from civilization, makes it a perfect venue for Lauren Chase’s purposes." 

"Probably full of dumb farmers with no idea what she’s up to." Buck drawled, having visited similar worlds and found the people usually had very little interest anything other than seed, weather and livestock. It explained why the women were always so starved for company.

"That would suit her just fine." Vin retorted, not at all happy to be running into the lady again. "Secluded with people who don’t know any better what she’s doing and wouldn’t be able to do anything about it even if they did."

 "Is she really that bad?" Buck glanced at the bounty hunter turned apprentice, unable to believe any woman could inspire such fear. Of course, he understood he was probably a bit near sighted when it came to the members of the opposite sex. He so loved women it was impossible for him to imagine they could be so devious or sadistic, in the case of Black Sun’s feared leader.

 "I know a couple of bounty hunters who did work for her once," Vin answered as Nathan went to the counter to inquire after the arrival of any new ships in the last day that might have departed a few hours later. "Said they wouldn’t work for her again. Rookie named Dengar had his faced mangled by one of her people when he brought in a mark dead instead of alive. Half his face was gone because she set a krayt dragon on him." 

"A krayt dragon?" JD exclaimed, hearing of such animals spoken of as if they were things of myth, not real. As far as he knew krayt dragons were big and mean, with tongues capable of stripping flesh from the bone. There was no death more agonizing than being the meal of krayt dragon. 

"Yeah," Vin nodded, not at all exaggerating which only made his story all the more chilling. "Dengar got out alive because he was pretty smart but he ain’t much to look at any more." 

"This does not give me much hope for Stephen." Josiah muttered glumly. 

"Same here." Chris frowned, sensing real fear in Vin beyond what he was telling them. There was very little that tested the bounty hunter’s resolve but Chris sensed it was more the woman’s consummate evil that frightened him rather than fear for his own life. Chris could appreciate that. When he had been fighting with Vader, just sensing the darkness radiating from the Sith Lord was enough to make him shudder. It was a hard thing to know just as there were inordinately good and noble people in the galaxy, there were also vile creatures that had no business breathing the same air as the rest of them. 

"I am afraid there is every reason to be concerned regarding the state of Mr Travis." Ezra replied. "In recent years, her name has been whispered about in dark corners because no one wishes to incur her wrath. The lady does not kill her enemies cleanly. I have heard of poor souls in her clutches who have endured  _most_  lingering ends."

"The idea of Mary being anywhere near a creature like that is decidedly unpleasant." Josiah remarked. 

"Actually I don’t think that’s what you got to worry about," JD said offhandedly.

"What do you mean?" Buck looked at the young man in question.

JD looked up and swallowed thickly upon realising an explanation was demanded of him for his statement. He took a moment to articulate the thought so he would not appear foolish in the company of his more experienced companions.

"Well Mary’s no fool. This Chase woman may be bad but we are talking about a commander whose got more guts than I’ve ever seen, not to mention she’s real smart. She runs a rebel base doesn’t she? She figures things out way faster then any of us. I mean when we had to escape from Zhar and that Destroyer was waiting for us? Until she came back on board with Chris, we weren’t sure we were going to get away. Ten minutes after she took the bridge we jumped into hyperspace. I don’t think we ought to be worried about how much trouble she is in but rather how much trouble she’s willing to cause to get to her husband. I figure nothing is holding her back so maybe we ought to figure out what to expect instead of trying to save her from Chase. Besides, knowing Commander Travis, she’s got that part figured out all on her own."

For a moment, none of the six men spoke and when the silence was finally broken, it was Chris who spoke. 

"You’re right JD," Chris added, impressed by JD’s insight. They had been so worried about Mary, it had never occurred to him what a force she could be when unleashed. Mary was passionate about the things she loved and being on the receiving end of that affection, he reminded himself she had once abandoned her ship to come save his life because she refused to let him go out of this life needlessly. When Chris had been willing to die, it was her voice that brought him back from the brink. Now he had to do the same for her, even if it meant losing her to Stephen Travis. "Mary would have had a plan for how she was going to get Stephen back. If we go in there without any idea what she’s got in mind we could get her killed, not to mention ourselves." 

"So what do you suggest?" Josiah asked. 

"When we approach Black Sun, we do not make any reference to Mary." Chris stated. 

"That’s going to be hard." Vin retorted. "If this place is under Chase’s thumb, we’ll need a good reason to go there." 

"If I might make a suggestion?" Ezra spoke up. "All of you are known criminals who are wanted in every civilized star system in the Empire. The location of Black Sun’s present hideout is remote enough to warrant the interest of persons other than herself as a refuge from the authorities." 

"If she’s holding Stephen Travis prisoner, wont us being members of the rebel alliance make her a little suspicious?" Buck returned. 

"Yes it would," Ezra nodded with a smile. "However, do you know of a better way to get in?" 

Nathan Jackson took that moment to return to his companions, an expression of grim disappointment on his face. It required no clairvoyance to guess the results of his inquiries. In truth, it had been a slim hope Mary would still be on Etti IV after learning what she needed from Kelso. Her actions so far had proved she was determined to find Stephen and would waste no time or expense in achieving that end. She had left everything behind her when she departed the rebel base with Alex Styles.

"A ship matching the _Tracker_ left here about an hour ago." Nathan announced. "The flight plan they lodged for the records indicated the ship was bound for the core worlds."  

"That’s just a smoke screen." Buck guessed immediately. He pulled the same trick several times when he had come across customs officials with a little too much interest in his business. "Something safe that won’t make the Espos blink twice. She’s on her way to the Rim."

"Well at least my ship is in one piece." Vin grumbled, still unable to believe Mary had opted to go on her crusade on his beloved vessel.

"Which is more than I can say about your light sabre." Nathan deadpanned and was shot a dark look from Vin as a small burst of laughter erupted.

 "Are all of you gonna give me grief about that?" Vin glowered. 

"Only until you build it." Buck grinned at him.

 "We better get after her," Chris cut in, reminding them they had purpose as he started towards the bay where the _Rogue_ was presently berthed. "At the rate we’re going, we’re not going to catch up with her after the dust settles."

* * *

"Why can’t I come with you?" Casey Wells whined shortly after the _Tracker_  landed in the rustic surroundings of Orron 3.

It was night on the planet and their landing site was a clearing in the woods since the main settlement on the world and the most likely place to find Black Sun, had no spaceport to speak off. Thanks to Vin who ensured his craft was outfitted with military grade sensor equipment, they were able to detect the main settlement on the rustic world. The rest of the planet was undeveloped, with large tracts of vegetation and forested continents, steeped above calm, blue oceans. If not for its remote location, the planet would have been settled by more than just farmers trying to eke out a living in this isolated corner of the galaxy.

"Because it isn’t safe." Mary said wearily as she and Alex prepared to leave the _Tracker_. She check her gun once more and slid it into her holster while Alex powered down the ship and left minimal power running so Casey would be able to use the amenities on board. Vin Tanner’s ship had been his home as well as his main mode of transport and there was more than enough comforts on the vessel to ensure Casey would not be languishing while they were rescuing Stephen. "We need a legitimate excuse to infiltrate Black Sun and with the identity papers we managed to get on Etti IV, we might be able to bluff our way through Chase but you won’t be easy to explain."

"But it’s so unfair." Casey grumbled, her lips curving into a pout as she sat down heavily on the captain’s chair, expressing her displeasure with a series of complaints. "I know I could be of help to you."

"You can." Mary did not look at her as she continued her preparations to leave the ship but was nonetheless listening to what the girl had to say. "You need to make sure that nothing happens to our only way off this planet if anything goes wrong. Besides, we both have transmitters which we can use to communicate so we won’t be completely out of touch." 

"If anything goes wrong, I won’t be able to leave the ship!" Casey exclaimed. "I don’t know how to fly her."

"That is true," Mary turned to her patiently, frankly amazing Alex at her ability to endure this annoying child’s prattling. "However, you do know how to send a coded signal better than anyone I know, so if we are in trouble I know I can count on you to get us help but that will only work if you don’t get captured with us."

"Okay," Casey finally conceded defeat, appreciating the situation even if she did not like it

"Listen kid," Alex added after Mary had finished pacifying the young woman. "You’re smart and much too young for Chase to take seriously. If we took you with us, we’d compromise our cover and honestly, you know too much about the Alliance to fall into the hands of a woman like that. She knows a prize when she sees it and you  _are_  a prize."

"Really?" Casey asked, unable to deny feeling some pride at having an agent of Alex’s note endorse her contribution to the Alliance. Most of the time, she did not feel what she was doing for the organization was of any importance. She hoped to aid Mary in her quest but despite her chagrin, understood her limitations and why she could not go. Mary was taking a gamble by letting her stay on board as it was, instead of putting her on the first transport back to someone who could see her safely to the Alliance. Casey did not even want to imagine what Uncle Josiah would say if he knew she was here. There was probably so much going on with them discovering Mary had taken off they probably had not even noticed she was gone, not even that peasant JD. 

 _Handsome peasant though_. She found herself thinking unconsciously and shook the thought out of her head. Stupid farm boys were not good enough for her. She was an _aristocrat_.

"Really." Alex said with a warm smile, knowing it would mean a lot to the girl. She was annoying and opinionated like every other seventeen-year-old Alex had ever met but she was also spirited and unreasonably brave. Alex liked all those qualities too much to dislike her. "You're our ace in the hole in case we get into trouble. If worst comes to worse and we get caught, you're the only thing that's going to save our necks." 

"We have to go." Mary declared finally. The time for this discussion was done.

Alex and Mary exchanged glances following that final statement. Their eyes held each other for a brief instance; the ritual between warriors about to embark upon an uncertain battle whose outcome they could not predict or were certain could win. However, there was no turning back from taking the path even if it led to their oblivion. Even though the odds were good they would not find Stephen alive and this was a fool's errand, they had to try because Stephen meant too much to them. He was part of their circle of friendship and his demise had broken it. 

Now was a chance to mend it again, to make it whole, to make each other whole. His death changed everything. It had made Mary whom until then only considered joining the rebellion throw herself fully into the cause, forsaking everything. For Alex, who tipped first, lived with the guilt that perhaps if she had not approached Mary about the rebellion, perhaps Stephen would have been spared his ordeal and Mary would be commanding her own star destroyer by now. 

"You be careful." Mary threw her a final warning at Casey as she and Alex started towards the  _Tracker's_  main hatch.

"Don't talk to any strangers." Alex winked at her.

 "Good luck," Casey called out, watching them leave. Despite herself, the young woman suddenly felt a sliver of fear run through her at the prospect she would trapped on this forgotten world all alone if they did not return.

* * *

The skies above Orron 3 were eerie.

It was eerie because in one corner of the sky, the stars glittered against the canopy of space like diamonds scattered across a bed of velvet. The core systems were gleaming jewels in the night, moving towards the horizon of tall, deciduous trees, before disappearing like the sun setting in the distance. The rest of the sky, however, was empty. It was the stark contrast between the two which produced the constricting fear of the immense blackness lying beyond edge of the galaxy, where there was nothing but emptiness, soul crushing in its depths. It was one to thing to hear of it, to know it existed but to see it for, to find the edge of the maw and stare into its cold darkness, was eerie.

It was no easy feat to find a suitable place to land amidst the thick covering of trees beyond the main settlement of Orron 3. Alex circled the ship above the vicinity of the settlement, in search of a landing site not be too far away since they would have to reach it by foot once they were on the ground. Now as they walked through the ring of forest surrounding the clearing of land where the town was situated, they could see the flicker of lights in the distance. It beckoned them in the night and Mary estimated it was only slightly smaller than the outpost on Cordoba. According to the sensors, there was very little technology on the planet. However, she did not delude herself with notion someone like Laurel Chase would not know how to circumvent sensor readings if she desired. However, this played out, Mary knew with absolute certainty if Laurel did not already know about the arrival of the  _Tracker_  to her bastion at Stars End, she would do so when they entered the settlement and showed themselves. No doubt, Laurel would have agents planted in the community to keep an eye on her interests. 

Neither spoke for a time after leaving the ship, their minds fixed on private thoughts as they journeyed through the darkness towards the settlement. Mary kept thinking about Chris and then invariably felt guilty for doing so because she was meant to be singularly focussed on Stephen. Her feelings about him were confused especially now there was the possibility of finding Stephen. No matter how much she tried to concentrate on the task of freeing Stephen, Mary found her thoughts drifting almost involuntarily back to Chris. It angered her she could not put him behind and because the reasons why might be were more than she could cope with at this moment. It remain inside, a Pandora's box she dared not open because once unleashed, would taint everything she was trying to do and everything she was.

_You weren't afraid of opening it before._

That was before, she told herself defiantly. Before Stephen. Before she had gone from being a widow to  wife.  

She needed to talk about something else. She needed to think about something else or she would be no good to Stephen when she finally found him. No good at all.

"Do you care about him?" Mary spoke up, breaking the silence in the darkness. 

Alex looked up and then at her.

"Who?" She asked in puzzlement, the question coming too quickly for her mind to grasp its meaning on first hearing.

"Vin." Mary said with a little smile, noting that her friend seemed somewhat introspective about the bounty hunter. 

"I don't even know him." Alex returned quickly. "It was just one kiss and I think he only did that to distract me from kicking his butt."

"Obviously it didn't work." 

"Obviously." Alex said shortly.

"I see." Mary remarked somewhat nonchalantly and the pause stretched for a few seconds although Mary knew it was inevitable it would be broken. She knew her friend too well. 

"Okay, maybe it worked a little." Alex spoke as predicted. "I mean it's been a while. Men don't usually affect me that way with a kiss. I mean it wasn't even a long kiss, just a quick one....uh kiss that is. I mean where the hell would a bounty hunter learn to kiss like that anyway? I never heard him having a reputation with women, just a reputation as a relentless son of a bitch. I mean when I heard that he was with you, I thought you were insane but then I also remembered that you would know better than anyone would what you're doing. I mean who knew he was that pretty?"

"Alex, you're rambling." Mary pointed out.

She fell silent immediately. "I was not."

"You were rambling." Mary declared firmly. "You were rambling like that time what his name asked you out two months after we first bunked together at the Academy, remember?" 

"What's his name?" Alex looked at her blankly, unable to recall that far back in time. It was almost another life away. "Oh him, with the freckles. Hey we were fourteen years old! We all rambled, you about Stephen and pierced ears." 

Unconsciously, Mary reached for her ears. "Where did it all go?" She asked in a small voice. 

The moment was over and Alex looked up at the sky. "We grew up." 

"It was not supposed to happen like this." Mary blinked and suddenly tears ran down her cheeks. She did not know when they even started to form in her eyes. "If he's alive my whole life changes, you know that? I will walk away form the rebellion because when I let the cause become more important then my husband, I lost him. I won't make that mistake again. Stephen deserves his family, Billy deserves his father and Orin deserves his son." 

And she would do it too, Alex thought. She would do it because she was Mary Travis.  If Mary said this was what she would do, Alex believed her. "And what about Chris?" 

Another tear ran down her alabaster skin an she blinked it away.  "Chris and I will continue to remain friends, nothing more."

 


	10. Laurel

Laurel Chase was not what Mary expected.

Although Alex had described her to be a fearsome creature whose beauty could make men lose all good sense, it was not quite the same as seeing the woman in person for the first time. They were intercepted by a number of Black Sun members in a skimmer prior to arriving at the settlement. The leader of the group was Selonian, one of the two worlds that made up the Corellian star system. Like all natives of Selonia, she was reptilian. She stood slight taller than Alex, a sleek, slender creature with rows of serrated teeth and a powerful body, covered in indigo scales, armour made for attack. Alex identified her quickly as Glorith Dar, the bounty hunter who stole Stephen away from them in the first place. 

Considering what his supposed death had done to her life, Mary kept remarkable restraint in the woman's company. She showed Glorith no indication the Selonian was known to her, launching instead into the carefully rehearsed speech she and Alex concocted regarding their reasons for seeking out Black Sun. Whether or not Glorith believed their story about seeking work was uncertain because the bounty hunter was unwilling to make any decision until they were brought before Chase herself. After being ushered onto the skimmer surrounded by Black Sun's operatives, they were driven to its headquarters.

The Domicile as the others referred to it resembled something out of a fairy tale. It sat on a high cliff, a fortress perched above sharp rocks with jagged architecture that made it look as harsh as the organization it was home too. Tall spires and needle like towers sat against the deep velvet skyline and simply staring at it made Mary shudder. There was no way into the structure other than through the massive doors erected at base of the cliff. Although Mary did not believe any structure being completely impregnable, she had to admit the Domicile appeared quite formidable and would take some heavy firepower to breach.

The journey to what passed for Laurel's main court gave Mary even graver concerns for their successful retrieval of Stephen. There were guards everywhere and the place was like a maze of catacombs, with distant voices of creatures growling loudly. Some of them sounded like screams, others like tortured sounds of wailing while some were just full of fist pounding fury that made Mary cringe just hearing it. She wondered what produced those noises and decided she was not all that eager to find out. She just needed to find Stephen and get him out of here.

If he  _still_  lived.

When they were finally ushered into Laurel Chase's audience chamber, Mary felt as if she were stepping into the royal court on Coruscant. Surrounding them was finery in the best and most luxurious form. Expensive silks covered the upholstery; soft, large cushions inhabited by beautiful men, wearing vacant expressions lay on top of them. Fine marble made up the floor and pieces of valuable artwork hung on the embroidery-covered walls. Laurel herself was dressed in a sweeping gown, a crimson red that matched the colour of her painted lips and she sat awaiting them on a chair that looked undeniably like a throne. In this place, Mary had no doubt this woman saw herself a queen and possibly behaved in such a manner too. Mary also noticed Laurel was lounging gracefully in the chair, stroking a small, furry creature on her lap. Mary had never seen anything like it and she wondered what was its native world.

Laurel Chase was in Mary's opinion, the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. Although her beauty had been described as extraordinary prior to their first encounter, Mary did not realise how much until she actually saw the woman for herself. It was no wonder why men were powerless by her when even Mary found herself overwhelmed. Everything about Laurel exuded raw, sexual power that was enchanting to men as well as women. She had the kind of face, both sultry and angelic, which made for a very dangerous combination if the mind behind it was as sadistic and ruthless as Laurel was reputed to be. Her effect on Alex was the same and for a few seconds, Mary found herself gawking stupidly at Laurel, trying to imagine what it must be like to wake up every morning with the face of a goddess.

Laurel studied Mary for a moment, trying to break her down into pieces by simple observation. The mahogany haired siren cast her emerald gaze on the new arrivals and decided she was uncertain what they were. Normally, such an action would mean their instant elimination but there was something about them that gave her pause.

"Who are these guests you've brought to me Glorith?" Laurel asked smoothly, her eyes still fixed on Mary, trying to size her up.

"They say they are looking for work." Glorith responded, her voice was no more than a raspy hiss. "I do not trust them." The Selonian turned to give them a hard stare through slitted yellow eyes.

"And why not?" Laurel asked smoothly. "They look perfectly lethal."

"Because of their ship." Glorith stated firmly.

"The slipstream?" The leader of Black Sun eyed her reptilian associate.

Mary and Alex exchanged glances, feeling a pang of apprehension when they realised that perhaps Glorith recognized the  _Tracker_  as being Vin Tanner's ship. However, for the sake of their continued existence, neither made comment and hid the fact Glorith's accusation held any concern for them. How the next minutes played out would decide whether or not they lived out the night or died where they stood.

"Its registration has been altered but I know it anywhere." Glorith glared at them, no longer facing Laurel at all. "It is Tanner's ship."

"Vin Tanner the bounty hunter?" Laurel asked, her brow arching slightly.

"It  _is_  Tanner's ship," Alex spoke up before anything else could be said. "I took it from him."

"No body takes Tanner's ship." Glorith spat in disbelief. "He is the best there is."

"He _was_ the best there is but he's a wanted man these days," Alex stared at the Selonian, prepared to do all the talking because she would rather the attention be taken off Mary. "A man with a death mark tends to go to ground, especially one who has made the friends he has."

"Explain." Laurel stared at Alex hard. "And believe me, your answer weighs very heavily on your future."

"Obviously," Alex said confidently, "your Selonian is out of touch with Guild gossip. Tanner has been on Imperial wanted lists for the last three months. Apparently, he's joined the Rebellion."

"That is a lie!" Glorith hissed. "Tanner was the best bounty hunter in the Guild. He would not go soft."

"He's done worse than that." Alex revealed triumphantly. "He's become a Jedi apprentice."

"I will tear out your tongue for that insult to one of my kind." Glorith sprang at Alex. The rebel operative dropped to her knees as the Selonian came at her, allowing Glorith to sail over her head. Alex stood up and spun around quickly, slamming the heel of her boot into the small of the Selonian's back, sending her sprawling. Guards moved to intervene but a quick gesture from Laurel halted them in their steps. Without giving Glorith chance to recover, Alex leapt on top of the Selonian, her knee connecting with her back and sending her falling face first onto the marble floor. Alex kept her pinned to the hard surface, her legs resting on the Selonian's forearms, while her hands kept Glorith's head pressed against the floor and unable to get up. It was no easy effort keeping the voracious bounty hunter down but Alex had a feeling if she could manage that, she might convince Laurel they were worth keeping alive.

"Glorith," Laurel remarked indifferently. "If you are done squirming. Perhaps you'll now learn the wisdom of letting our guest finish." She turned to Alex and said with equal dispassion. "Now, please. I am most intrigued by this idea that a bounty hunter of Tanner's reputation having chosen to change his spiritual affiliations."

"Only if you can ensure your lap dog doesn't try to tear out my friends throat when she's not looking." Mary said firmly. Although their weapons had been liberated before they had reached this audience chamber, Mary injected enough force into her voice to make her words sound like a formidable threat to be ignored at their peril.

Laurel crooked the corner of her lip into a faint smile and regarded Glorith. "Glorith you will behave for now." She gave the minion a sharp look, which held no illusions for anyone present what the punishment would be if she were disobeyed. Glorith hissed angrily at Alex, baring her teeth in fury for this humiliating position she now found herself but nodded in subservience to her mistress. Alex noting her acknowledgment of Laurel's demand, released her grip on the Selonian. Glorith rolled onto her feet and took a step towards Alex, appearing as if she might attack when Laurel's voice cut through the air sharply.

"Glorith. I will not tell you again." 

The Selonian narrowed her eyes at Alex and a low hiss escaped her throat. No doubt, Alex had earned Glorith's undying hatred for humiliating her in front of her mistress. However, for now she would obey Laurel's demand.

She knew first hand how fatal that could be.

"Continue." Laurel turned back to the new arrivals in her court.

"Tanner and I are 'friends'." Alex declared, making up her story as she went and hoping it was good enough to pass. She glanced at Glorith briefly before adding, "intimate friends."

"Intimate friends?" Laurel smiled. "Lovers?"

Alex swallowed and thanked God the obnoxious Jedi apprentice was nowhere in sight to hear this, before continuing. "Yes, casual lovers. The man is quite exceptional in that area, other than being an excellent bounty hunter. Considering the radical course of career he was about to embark upon, at our last meeting he confessed his intention to disappear and I offered to buy his ship. He felt it to be an uncomfortable reminder of what he used to be and was more than ready to relinquish it for a little monetary recompense."

"I see and your companion?" Laurel pointed a sharp eye at Mary.

"I speak for myself." Mary spoke up before Alex could. "My name is Koryander of Mystral."

Laurel stared at Mary for a few seconds, trying to determine whether or not she was lying. The face standing before her was glacial in its control, which corroborated the strict regimen of Mystral training. They were the best bodyguards in the galaxy save the Jedi Knights themselves and certainly more accessible since services as a bodyguard was the world's main source of income. One had to be an Imperial governor or someone of immense wealth to be able to afford a Mystral in one's service. Unfortunately, the order tended to be selective about whom it chose to as their employers and thus, Laurel had never been able to acquire the services of one and was quite pleased by the idea of that changing.

"You are a long way from Emberlane." She pointed out. "Why seek me out?"

"I have no wish to serve a man." Mary declared defiantly. "And for this I have been ejected from the order."

"I see," Laurel nodded, understanding a great deal better than she let on. The Mystral considered the protection of their charges a sacred trust, to violate that meant a disgrace upon them all. She had no doubt this Mystral was not just ejected but also permanently exiled. That made the prospect of having one in her stable of lethal employees all the more attractive. Still Laurel was not one to take anything on face value and would nevertheless keep her eye on this woman with the unreadable eyes for the time being. "And you wish to come into my service, why?" 

"You seem worthy of my talents." Mary replied with an air of superior arrogance. In the background, she heard some of Laurel’s guards snort in derision at the remark while the male members of her court seem to enjoy the encounter with nothing more than insipid smirks on their faces.

A rueful smile crossed the lips of the dark haired siren and she responded in that smooth as silk voice that had no doubt beguiled many in her time. "How refreshingly confident."

"In my profession, it is wise to be so." Mary stated proudly and then added. "As women, it is often easy to underestimate us. Males tend to believe even though we can kill as well as any of them, we still lack the mental capability to be complete equals."

"Yes they do," Laurel agreed, Mary’s word striking a chord inside her. She had used her face to get her everything she wanted and knew much of her success was her ability to play men who thought she was the sum of her beauty. They never expected the intellect behind her emerald coloured eyes was far more formidable. Those who had underestimated her paid dearly for it. She saw to that. "And you?" She turned to Alex. "Other than your predilection for bounty hunters and an impressive ability to best my trusted Selonian ally, what is reason here?"

"I’m just here for the work." Alex said cockily. "My name is unimportant but they call me the Knife."

"I’ve heard of you." Laurel nodded in recognition. "You’re reputation precedes you. You’re one of the best assassins in the galaxy."

"Thank you," Alex said graciously. In her line of work, she had a number of identities ready to use for instances like this. She encountered the real Knife six months ago in the Hapes Consortium, attempting to kill one of the planetary rulers. The Knife had not walked away from their meeting and Alex claimed the dead assassin’s identity as one of many she sometimes employed for varying purposes. Over the course of the last six months, Alex maintained the Knife’s identity, acquiring docking bays in that name and making appearances in selected venues, calling herself the Knife. Since the assassin was somewhat elusive and since the only thing really known about her was her gender, Alex was allowed a certain amount of freedom in her charade.

Mary was also utilising one of these identities. Koryander of Mystral was in truth, a member of the Rebel Alliance and had not been seen abroad for some time. The order did not take kindly to inquiries regarding their own, especially one who was disgraced, so Laurel had chance of finding out that Mary was other than what she claimed to be. The nature of assassins and bodyguards alike ensured they remained in the shadows, seen by few, remembered by even less. Those who usually could put a name to a face never lived long enough to point it out in a crowd. If she were truly determined, Alex held no illusions Laurel would uncover the truth sooner or later, but by then both Alex and Mary had every intention of being well out of Black Sun’s clutches.

"Let us come to the point." Alex took a step forward and immediately saw Laurel’s personal guard react by raising their weapons, preparing to intercept her. "My companion and I have heard of your reputation and the growing eminence of your organization. There are rumours you will soon be in a position to challenge Nal Hutta. My friend needs work and I am weary of the assassins game. I believe we can be of use to you. If you feel otherwise, we’ll go as we came, peacefully."

Laurel eased back into her throne and kept her eyes fixed on both women, scrutinizing them deeply and knew there was something about the Mystral she could not put her finger on, even if she believed their desire to join Black Sun was genuine. Still, Laurel always liked a mystery and something told her there were hidden depths to Koryander of Mystral that might be worth the distraction.

"Well it seems I cannot refuse an offer like that, can I?" The woman stared at Alex and for the briefest hint of a second, the rebel operative thought she was looking into the eyes of rancor.

"We’re hoping not." Alex responded, shaking the thought out of her head.

"Mistress, you cannot trust them!" Glorith barked angrily, glaring at Alex with unconcealed hatred.

"Glorith," Laurel answered her minion without even looking in the Selonian’s direction. "Your next words will be your last if you question my judgement again."

Mary saw Glorith pale, if it was even possible for a Selonian with scales to manage such a thing. However, the fear in her eyes was apparent and the Selonian seemed to shrink back in terror. The rebel leader wondered what in the stars about Laurel Chase could engender such fear from a creature as vicious as a Selonian. She prayed inwardly Stephen did not know the answer. The fear was not just from Glorith but from every one in the room, from the armed guards to the members of her harem. It ran so thick, it felt like a physical presence and something inside Mary told her they better proceed with extreme care around the leader of Black Sun. There were few people who could engender this much fear. The Emperor was one of them, Darth Vader was another. Did Laurel Chase make it a triad?

"You will bring your ship here," Laurel instructed Alex. "And then we will keep you both on retainer. If I like what I see, we’ll talk about making your involvement in Black Sun becoming permanent. If not," her eyes became as cold as dark star. "You will wish you never heard of us."

Alex met Mary’s gaze and they both thought the same thing. Laurel was not lying.

* * *

 

The  _Rogue_  jumped out of hyperspace a fair distance from Orron 3 in order to avoid detection by any sensor equipment that Black Sun might have to monitor incoming ships.

With no idea how Mary and Alex intended to infiltrate the organization, the  _Rogue’s_  arrival might complicate their plans or at worst, place them in danger. Buck claimed he would have no difficulty penetrating any sensor devices in place when the time came for them to make a surface landing but he would have to know what he was up against first before making the attempt. His ship was outfitted with sophisticated scanner detection equipment since he had become a full fledged member of the Rebel Alliance because he was often using the vessel to run their errands and carry out important missions. 

"Can you detect anything yet?" Josiah asked as he stood over Buck’s shoulder following their entry into normal space. 

"Oh yeah," Buck nodded in affirmative, his scanners directed at the planet were picking up a number of readings. "The sky is hot. I’ve got multi-phasic sensors and a protection grid. That planet may be full of farmers but the hardware surrounding it says go away." 

"Can you get through?" Chris asked. 

"The protection grids have fluctuations every 0.56 seconds in certain sections of the planetary shield. If I do this real careful like, I can slip through one of them." 

"They occur every 2 hours Mr Wilmington." Ezra added. "I suggest we take point behind that small moon until then. The gravitational wells should keep us cloaked for the time being." 

Buck looked over his shoulder at the Imperial commander. "Not bad for a bridge officer." 

"Any sign of my ship?" Vin called out from the next room. The apprentice was once again attempting to assemble his light sabre and this time had made more progress than earlier efforts. He had constructed part of the power unit where the kyber crystal was inserted and was attempting to build the casing around it.  

"Nope." Buck sang out before adding playfully. "Guess you’ll just have to wait until you see your girlfriend again to ask her what she did with it."  

"She ain’t my girlfriend!" Vin roared back, much to the amusement of those listening in the cockpit. 

"What pray tell is so funny?" Ezra asked when he saw Nathan, JD, Josiah and Buck laughing out loud. Even Chris was sniggering a little.  

"We’re not quite sure yet," Buck chuckled. "But its got to be good. We get a rise like this out of him every time the girl’s name is mentioned." 

"Very funny," Vin retorted, hearing the conversation. "And I’m sure you just as thrilled that Inez is dating Ezra." 

Buck’s expression turned into a scowl when he saw Ezra looking at him with question. "Is there a problem, Mr Wilmington?" The Imperial captain asked. His voice though polite, sounded taut. 

Buck looked over his shoulder and though Vin was out of his line of sight, managed to glare fiercely in that direction nonetheless. 

"No problem." Buck said betraying nothing, though he did not meet the gazes of his friends around him. They were all privy to his ramblings the last few weeks regarding Inez’s relationship with Ezra Standish and knew he was lying through his teeth. However, none of them would comment and somehow managed to look elsewhere during the awkward moment. 

"If there is something between you two that I am unaware of ..." Ezra persisted, not wishing to be any unresolved feelings on this matter. Inez meant a lot to him and though he would be sad to have her leave his life, he would not stand in the way if her affections were promised elsewhere to begin with. 

"No," Buck said through gritted teeth, hating to expose his jealousy but knew Ezra was waiting for an answer. "There’s nothing, except that I expect you to take good care of her." 

"I had always intended to." Ezra declared firmly. "She’s a remarkable woman and I would not dream of toying with her affections." 

"Ezra’s a gentleman with the ladies," Nathan spoke up for his best friend. "He’s just a complete bastard in a sabaac game." 

"Thank you," Ezra gave Nathan, who was grinning at him, a look. "With friends like you, I do not need enemies." 

"Just don’t hurt her." Buck said seriously. "She deserves more than I was able to give her, I expect you do better." 

"You have my word of honour." Ezra returned earnestly, meaning it.  

"Buck," JD spoke up, interrupting the moment when all of a sudden, a light started flashing on his side of the cockpit controls. "I’m detecting something." 

"What?" Chris demanded before Buck could answer. 

"It’s a large sub-space distortion….." JD started to say. "Right on top of us." 

"Fire thrusters at maximum and get us out of here NOW!" Ezra ordered immediatley, his voice sharp with urgency.  

"I got you!" Buck did not have to think twice and fired the  _Rogue’s_ thrusters.  

The Corellian freighter surged forward and though none of them saw it, they heard the scatter of light sabre parts on the deck from the abrupt burst, followed by a series of profanities uttered in quick succession by Vin Tanner. They were all hanging onto something to keep from falling over as the ship blasted forward. The  _Rogue_  left the space it formerly occupied and sped towards the safety of the moon in orbit around Orron 3. The area behind them shimmered, like the stars were merely painted on the velvet canvas and was rippling in the breeze. 

"What the hell just happened?" Vin entered the cockpit. 

"Subspace distortion." Buck quickly answered as his hands flew over the controls, ensuring they had made good their abrupt departure. 

"A distortion of that size and intensity can only be caused by one thing," Ezra explained, watching the readings on the consoles with just as much concentration as the pilot. "A ship emerging from hyperspace." 

"A big ship coming out of hyperspace." Nathan added, coming to the same conclusion although not as rapidly as Ezra. Then again, Ezra was been a good tactician, despite his lacklustre attention to his career. 

The  _Rogue’s_  rear scanners revealed what would have emerged right on top of them if Ezra had not acted when he did. The Star Destroyer materialized in the screen before them, a giant leviathan moving soundlessly through the vacuum. As it appeared, its white grey hull  was a stark contrast against the black. While it was certainly not a super Star Destroyer like they had seen in orbit around Zhar recently, it was a heavy cruiser carrying at least four squadrons of TIE fighters and capable of planetary bombardment. She was heavily armoured which made her more or less invulnerable against one small freighter. 

"Get us behind the moon and shut down on all our engines." Ezra continued to issue orders and Buck took them readily because the man had a better knowledge of Imperial warships than he did.

"Standard procedure for warships is to scan the system for enemy vessels." Ezra continued to speak. "You are not dealing with protection grids that wait until you get into proximity to detect you. Warship sensors are far more sensitive. If there is so much as a particle of dust that should not be where it is, they will find it. Our best bet is to stay behind the moon and also get as close to the surface as you can manage without actually landing. The readings radiating from the moon will cloak the ship." 

"What are they doing so far out?" Vin asked. "I thought big cruisers like this usually hung around the core systems or protect the main space lanes." 

"That’s pretty obvious," Chris said grimly. "They’re here for Stephen Travis."

 

 


	11. Dungeon

The star destroyer remained suspended above Orron 3 unmoving and unaware in the wilderness it currently occupied, it was being watched with as much scrutiny as it continued its vigil over the planet. The _Rogue_ also remained frozen above the skies of Orron 3’s dead moon, its occupants uncertain about what their next move ought to be with the advent of this latest complication. Minutes stretched into hours as the limbo of indecision lingered within the Corellian freighter. At the time of their retreat, it had seem like a wise idea to remain concealed in order to ascertain what a ship of the line was doing so far from the core systems. However, the unknowing was playing havoc on all their nerves, especially when their purpose for coming to Stars End still waited for them on the planet below. 

"We can’t stay here forever." Buck Wilmington declared. He hated being forced to stay in one place when his natural impulse was to get his ship and run from that huge Imperial cruiser.  

"I am afraid we have little choice." Ezra Standish countered the big man’s disdain. "The minute we leave the refuge of this moon, their sensors will detect us." 

"He’s right Buck," Chris returned. "We got to sit put until we know what they’re planning." 

"They could be there for days." Buck pointed out, refusing to concede the point. 

"Look," Vin added his voice into the mix. "We know they’re here for Travis but we can’t just go barging in down there. Mary can’t have been too far ahead of us. I don’t know about you but any fool is gonna know something is up if we suddenly appear just hours after she did. Orron 3 is not  _that_  popular at the best of times. We just show up and we’ll get her killed." Vin said not too kindly. However, he knew the enemy and he did not want to see Mary harmed because of their impetuousness. Vin had not become the best bounty hunter in the galaxy by rushing in where angels feared to thread. He was a man accustomed to waiting out his prey and striking when the moment was opportune.  

"I wonder what they’re waiting for." Josiah mused as he stared at the large ship on the scanner. 

"I believe Mr Larabee was correct in assuming they are here to collect Mr Travis. Perhaps, the appointed for the exchange is drawing close." Ezra suggested.

"Which means," Nathan said grimly. "Wherever Mary is in all that, she’ll have to make her move soon."

"And we’re stuck here with no way to help her." Buck reminded. 

Ezra could see that Buck was not going to let the issue rest until his ship was far away from here and he turned to Chris Larabee. The Jedi had been silent all this time, most likely considering their next move and keeping counsel to himself until he came up with a solution. Chris was seated with hands pressed together beneath his lips in silent contemplation, looking very much the jedi he was. As dangerous as Buck’s desire to leave the moon might be, Ezra could not deny it was unacceptable they remain here if they wanted to help Mary Travis in any way. A way had to be found to avoid being seen by those sensors. The Empire was keeping watch for good reason, no doubt to ensure  no one left the planet before they could claim their prize. 

"Yes." Chris nodded. "I think you’re right." The Jedi said firmly, meeting his gaze, aware of what was running through his mind. "I think it would work."

"What would work?" Vin looked at them both. 

Ezra was as equally mystified since the thought had only been swirling around his head and not solidified into any coherent shape. "It was just a random.." 

"It makes sense." Chris said coolly. He had not intentionally intruded upon Ezra’s thoughts but sometimes, it was difficult when some thoughts had such potency, they possessed an aura of their own. Ezra, in particular was difficult to read because the man kept his emotions and thoughts buried deeply behind the façade of indifference he wore around himself like a shield. However, a spark of inspiration had flared up in Ezra’s mind during an unguarded moment and the strength of it, no matter how fleeting the moment, captured Chris’s attention almost immediately.

"How about letting us in on it?" Buck retorted, now all eyes were on the Jedi and the Imperial commander. 

"Would you?" Chris glanced at him with a little smile. 

Ezra nodded somewhat dazed and managed to speak after a moment, "I was thinking that perhaps the purpose of that warship is not to keep anyone away from the planet but rather keep in. If Laurel Chase had indeed made an offer to the Empire for Steven Travis, it would not be difficult for Imperial agents to find out who she is and with whom her affiliations lie." 

"With Stephen involved, they would use any means necessary to find out everything there is to know about Black Sun." Chris added. 

"You mean, this isn’t an exchange?" JD asked, starting to catch on. "They’re not here to make some kind of rendezvous?" 

"They’re here because they know that Black Sun is here and if Black Sun is here so is Laurel Chase and Stephen Travis." Vin understood though what he knew did not make him feel any better. "They’re not going to pay any ransom or let her dictate terms to them."

"Precisely," Ezra nodded. "The Empire does not pay ransoms, especially those made by gangsters, even for a morsel as tasty as Stephen Travis."

"Hell," Buck cursed, understanding what the others were trying to tell him. "You mean…" 

Chris nodded. "They’re going to attack."

* * *

Mary and Alex found themselves in the operations centre of Black Sun.

From here, Black Sun's primary defences were controlled and coordinated, including the sensor grid which detected the  _Tracker_  the minute it had entered Orron 3, not to mention the short range scanning equipment that sought out ships on an approach vector to the planet. Laurel spared no expense fortifying her bastion on the planet, and Mary had to confess she respected the woman even though she held no illusions to how dangerous it was to make an enemy of the Black Sun's beautiful leader.

They had been summoned to the operations center shortly after Alex and Mary brought the _Tracker_ back to the Domicile's private hangar. Although Casey complained bitterly, Mary had ordered the girl to remain on board, giving no reason for anyone to believe the _Tracker_ was being inhabited in their absence. Everything about the Domicile told Mary she did not want Casey involved in what they had to do here. Besides, the young girl was their only salvation if anything went wrong. 

With the rest of Laurel's private guard, including Glorith Dal, Mary and Alex discovered what it was that had suddenly sent the entire fortress into such a state of urgency. She saw the readings on the console and while the scanner did not show what was waiting for Black Sun in space, Mary knew instantly what she was looking at. 

"It appears we have company." Laurel remarked as she stared at the readings. "A large Imperial vessel." 

"That's not just a large Imperial vessel," Mary spoke up. "Energy readings that high can be from only one type of vessel - an Imperial star destroyer." 

"That's impossible," Glorith hissed. "The closest Imperial ships to Stars End are busy protecting the Hydian way."

"Impossible or not," Alex returned. "If my friend says that's an Imperial destroyer, then that's what it is." 

"For many years, I was bodyguard to an Imperial officer," Mary responded, explaining her knowledge. "That's a star destroyer and by the looks of those energy readings, a warship. That means," she glared at Glorith. "There's four squadrons of TIE fighters, a legion of surface shock troops and enough fire power to annihilate us from orbit. A ship like that does not come out here unless it's preparing to destroy something."

"I suppose it was too much to assume that they would play by the rules," Laurel let out a sigh and glanced over her shoulder at Glorith, her face illuminated by the screen before. "I am afraid our Mystral is quite correct Glorith, that ship is here for us." 

"If that is true, we need to evacuate." Glorith exclaimed. "Immediately." 

"That won't be necessary." Laurel said not in the least bit perturbed. "However, we should be prepared for some posturing. Men are so predictable that way."

"Laurel," Mary cleared her throat because she also knew why a star destroyer would be here. No doubt, the Empire had decided they would not wait for Laurel to deliver Stephen to them and would take him by force. They would attempt to frighten her at first with the threat of aerial bombardment, then perhaps they would actually launch an obligatory show of force to create something of a light show. If by then, Laurel did not have the good sense to produce Stephen, surface troopers would land and they would take the Domicile by any means necessary and kill anyone who tried to stop them. "You cannot remain here. They will come after you. Shock troopers are not deployed without good reason. I do not know what you have done to incur the Empire's wrath in this way but they have entered the Corporate Sector in order to reach you." 

Laurel studied her for a moment. Her eyes seemed to cloud over as if she was hiding her feelings from her minions so she could make a decision without their deciphering what was on her mind. "You are of course correct. I have what they want and they will use any means to acquire it. No doubt they must have employed similar methods to obtain this location. In truth I was rather expecting them, though not so soon. However, since they are here, we shall have to deal with them. What do you suggest?"

"Me?" Mary asked. "I am a body guard, I do not know anything about battle strategy.'

 "And yet you have made some rather astute observations already," Laurel retorted smoothly. "More astute than my trusted associate Glorith. However, one cannot expect much from Selonians," she gave Glorith a depreciating look which the reptilian did not at all appreciate.

Mary could see Glorith was accustomed to being Laurel's counsel on such matters and the fact she might have usurped that position had earned the Selonian's further dislike. Although Mary was reluctant to help Laurel in any way, not only because it might endanger her cover but also because she wanted the freedom to roam about and search for Stephen instead of being trapped here in Laurel's operations room, she had no choice. For the moment any way, she was Laurel's creature.

Letting out a loud exhale, she saw Alex giving her a look which silently instructed her to be exceedingly careful with how she conducted herself from this point on. "First off, raise your shields if you have any. If they aren't scanning us yet they soon will. You don't need them to know just how defenceless you are."

"We have shields. Not military grade of course but enough to keep us cloaked." Laurel explained before turning to the young woman operating the shield generators. "Do as she says."

Mary thought quickly and then added. "If you have some kind of evacuation procedure, I suggest you get it into motion. When they come, they'll come in force and quickly. Shock troopers are known for speedy penetration of supposedly impregnable fortresses. Any surface batteries?"

"A few." Glorith found voice enough to speak, deciding the Mystral was making sound statements. "Not enough to fight a vessel like that." She countered, challenging Mary to respond to that.

"You won't stop a destroyer that way and they won't waste the time when their fighters will do the job well enough down here. I'm not offering you a way to beat them, just to stall them long enough to get away. I did not see any fighters of your own in your hangar so I assume you are in no position to fend off an aerial attack when it comes. The best that you can do is put them on defensive, at least until the evacuation is done." 

"Well," Laurel stared at her. "I am impressed."

"Save your admiration for later." Mary said wearily. "If we survive this. For the moment, however, I suggest you make contact with them and start talking terms. They want something from you, if they did not they would already attacked. You need to buy yourself and your people some time."

"That my dear," Laurel said with a smile. "Is what I do best."

Mary had no doubt of that. 

* * *

Laurel had ushered everyone out of the operations center when she prepared to contact the star destroyer and Mary guessed it was likely because she did not wish the others to know what it was that had brought the Empire to Orron 3. Laurel struck Mary as someone who would keep her secrets guarded because she trusted no one. It was uncertain whether or not she would confide in a trusted lieutenant like Glorith about her deal with the Empire just as it was entirely possible no one knew Stephen was here and even if they did, were in the dark about his value. As Mary and Alex drew away from the operations center, Mary feared she might have given herself away by her military prowess in assessing the threat of the star destroyer to Black Sun.

"That was not wise." Mary said softly as they started down one of the many catacombs that made up the Domicile. Laurel had assigned them quarters for the duration of their stay and until she completed her conversation with the Imperials, everything was trapped in a state of limbo. Mary and Alex had made some excuse to retire to their assigned accommodation as they intended to make good use of the time away from the woman. Mary wanted to know what was the source of all that pain and wailing she had heard when she first entered the Domicile and Laurel's presence. She was terrified that it might be Stephen who was enduring such agonies and needed to see what was down there just for her peace of mind.

"I agree." Alex replied as they left the others behind them and turned down another dark, stygian corridor. "You may have blown your cover." 

"Even if I did, she can't kill me just yet." Mary retorted.

"Why is that?" Alex looked at her sceptically. "That woman is capable of anything."

"That she is," Mary conceded Alex that point. "But she likes to win and she knows with me, she can."

"I don't follow you." The operative replied, confused. "What do you mean."

"She's not going to give up on her 10 million credits if she can help it." Mary whispered. They turned into another corridor, further and further away from the main chambers. The sound of that terrible wailing became louder, coupled with new sounds of growling, loud, harsh and bitter. The roars made both of them shudder a little even though their brisk pace did not falter one bit. 

"If she can get ten million credits for Stephen, imagine what she can get for me. She'll use me long enough to keep the Empire at bay and then turn around and serve me to them." Mary replied tersely. 

"I hope you know what you're doing," Alex sighed loudly. "I've got a real bad feeling about all this and what is that?" She exclaimed in the darkness of the cave like corridor. The walls were grey and uneven and reminded Alex of a dungeon from one of those fairy tales she heard during her childhood. The way was lit with dull lamps at every hundred paces and from this corridor, there was nowhere else to go but straight to the end. The path gradually sloped so they were walking down an incline. 

"I've been hearing it ever since we got here," Mary answered, her voice hushed as if their surroundings demanded it. 

"You think Stephen is down here?" Alex asked quietly. The length of the passageway made their voices echo and she could think of nothing worse at this point for her words to reach someone else's ears in this way. 

"I hope not." Mary whispered, her stomach hollowing at the very notion he had spent the last year in this hell, locked away from everything in a dungeon of darkness with that terrible sound of anguish that seeped into the walls with every sorrowful wail. 

They finally reached the end of the corridor and the way their voices echoed as they spoke told Mary they were deep with the heart of the Domicile. The corridor emptied into what looked like a cellblock. There were doors on either side; all controlled by heavy security doors no locks. Mary had seen such doors before. There was no lock to pick, no control panel to access. The locking mechanism controls were probably not even here, needing to be accessed from the upper levels of the fortress, possibly even the operations room they had just come from. The doors were made from pure beryllium. It would take nothing less that a laser torch to even mark the finish of its high-density steel surface.  

"By the stars." Mary gasped at she faced the near impregnable obstacle before her. "What could she have in here that justifies this?"

"I don't know," Alex shook her head and stepped forward to the nearest door and peered through the small opening that allowed the jailer to see the prisoner.  

"Lex be careful," Mary warned instinctively. "You don't know what's in there." 

No sooner than she said that, a large furry hand had forced its way through the orifice. Alex staggered back and fell down on her rear as the large arm, flayed wildly, trying desperately to grab something. An angry roar followed, propelling Mary forward. 

"Lex!" Mary cried out as she rushed to Alex's side who was more shocked than she was hurt. "Are you alright?" 

"I haven't been the same since that idiot kissed me!" She growled. "Getting blindsided, letting big hairy things almost rip my head off and not shooting teenagers who giggle every time the word kiss is mentioned! It wasn't that great a kiss!" 

Mary rolled her eyes. "I guess that means you're okay then." She said sarcastically and turned her attention to the creature bellowing within its cage. It was one of many, although this one at the moment was the angriest and most vocal. Mary saw the arm withdraw back into the cell and despite herself, took a step forward because she needed to see what was inside it. The edge of anger had evaporated from the occupant's bellowing and the roars that emanated from the room soon became like all the others, despair trapped in frustration and futility. It was a feeling Mary knew all too well. Taking a deep breath, she braced herself to move if it tried to attack again. Mary peered inside the cell, expecting to see something terrible trapped within its confines. 

Instead, she found herself looking at a Wookie. 

Judging by the deep russet pelt and the shape of its seven-foot tall frame, the Wookie was a female. She was growling mournfully and the sound reached inside Mary because there was so much anguish in it. That low growl whispered so much sorrow Mary felt her fear dying at its hearing even though she knew it was a bad idea to let down her guard. 

"Mary, be careful." Alex offered the same warning she had refused to heed when given earlier.

Mary did not answer. Instead she took a deep breath and spoke. "Hello." Her translator was working and she hoped it would be able to reach the female on some level. 

The Wookie turned to her sharply as the small device Mary wore on her person, allowed her words to be understood. The Wookie growled back. 

<What do you want? Have you come to take me now?> 

"Take you?" Mary asked confused. "Take you where? What are you doing so far from Kashhyk?"

<I do not speak with our jailers!> 

"I am not your jailer. I don't even know why you're here." She asked, trying to sound sincere so this Wookie would believe Mary was not here to harm her.

Alex listened to the growls being exchanged by Mary and the Wookie. She did not have a translator herself but knew some kind of a conversation was taking place between her friend and the sentient trapped inside the cell. She listened closely as she retreated the way they came a little bit, ensuring no one was coming down the corridor to find them. There was only way into this place and should anyone discover them here, there would be no place for them to go except into a cell and at the moment, that was an eventuality Alex wanted to avoid. After ensuring no one was indeed coming, Alex continued her investigation of the cellblock, always keeping Mary in her view.  

She had not even finished peering through half the cells to discover all the prisoners at present were Wookies. They came in all shapes and sizes, female, male, adolescent, even the old. Grey pelts, russet and deep mahogany faces peered at her, some angry and enraged by their incarceration but most were despaired and suffering. Wookies originated from a world where sunlight was their constant companion. Being trapped in this dark place must have been the closest thing to hell imaginable for these poor souls and Alex wondered what they had done to deserve such torture.

"LEX!" Alex heard Mary almost snarl. The sharp intensity of her voice immediately stopped Alex dead in her tracks and she ran all the way back to Mary. 

When she reached Mary, the rebel leader was barely able to conceal her rage. Her anger smouldered off her skin like smoke. Even before she spoke, Alex could see the fury in Mary's eyes and she wondered what terrible thing the woman had discovered to engender that kind of a reaction. There was a heart stopping moment when Alex thought Mary had learnt something about Stephen, something final and fatal that made their whole quest pointless. 

"What is it?" She asked in a soft voice. 

"She's using them." Mary was so outraged she could barely speak. After being in the Rebel Alliance, hearing stories about Imperial cruelties and atrocities, she thought there was little that could provoke her anger any more, that she was too jaded to let anything truly reach inside of her and clench her heart with such a stomach churning intensity. She was wrong.

"Using them?" Alex looked at her confused. "What do you mean?" 

"The Fire," Mary managed to say, revealing to Alex what the Wookie told her. "The narcotic Black Sun makes. Its primary ingredient is the adrenal secretion found in Wookies! She's extracting it from them!"

Alex's jaw fell open from the horror. "Krix!" 

"She's been paying slavers to abduct these people from their homes and brought here so she can take their adrenal glands. All these Wookies in here are going to die!" Mary's gaze moved across the expanse of the cellblock.  

"We have to help them." Alex exclaimed. "We have to get them out of here. This is illegal even by Imperial standards."  

"I know that," Mary hissed, a new hatred forming for this woman, not just because she had taken Stephen from her but what she had done to these poor souls and so many others who had died since. "I'm not leaving here without Stephen or them. Somehow, we're going to get all these people out of here." 

Alex nodded, not about to argue with Mary on this point, however there were realities they had to face. "It's not going to be easy. Laurel might already suspect who you are." 

"She doesn't even know the half of what I am." Mary retorted, her eyes blazing. "She'll find out soon enough." 

 


	12. Assault

When the first of the TIE fighters left the belly of the star destroyers, Ezra and Chris decided it was finally time to move.

Despite his worries about Mary, Chris found himself gaining a new admiration for the Imperial officer who was choosing to risk everything by helping them get her back. He wondered how well Ezra and Mary would work together and quickly came to the conclusion they could be a formidable team. For the moment however, Chris found that Ezra’s strategy regarding how they would deal with slipping past the destroyer to be sound and agreed the Imperials would be more interested in who was departing the planet rather than who was attempting to land on it. When the phalanx of TIE fighters started towards the planet, Chris saw the perfect opportunity to not only land but also slip past the formidable sensor net surrounding the planet.

"Okay everybody strap yourselves in." Buck instructed as his fingers began moving deftly across the cockpit controls. "I’m going to try and keep some distance away from them but still stay close enough to confuse those sensors down there."

"Will it matter much?" Josiah inquired from his place behind the pilot and co-pilots seat.

"Not really I suppose," Buck confessed. "But we’re playing it safe. If she’s got sensors that sophisticated, I’m betting there will be some air defence batteries too."

"You mean, we could get shot down?" JD exclaimed beside him.

"No while I’m flying," Buck grinned with confidence. "Air batteries are good but not that good and with almost a full squadron coming at them. We’ll get past them easy."

"Can you pin point where exactly Black Sun is?" Chris asked.

"Absolutely," Ezra responded. "All it requires is a little recalibration of our sensor equipment, finding of course the strongest concentration of shielding and logic dictates we ought to find ourselves Black Sun’s enclave."

"In a word ‘yes’." Nathan retorted.

"I believe that’s what I said." Ezra gave him a look.

"How close do you want to get?" Buck asked.

"I’m hoping the aerial attack creates enough confusion that we can slip in and find Mary." Chris replied.

"It will undoubtedly be a large structure," Ezra pointed out. "Can we be assured of finding her?"

"I’ll find her." Chris said enigmatically. Even now, he could feel her. Although the sensation was distant, like trying to find someone in a fog, it was nevertheless there. She was alive and for the moment, Chris was grateful enough for that.

"What about Travis?" Vin asked and it was a question directed more at Chris than anyone else.

"If he’s alive, he comes with us." Chris answered. This was never in doubt as far as he was concerned. 

"I wonder if she’s found him yet." Josiah asked no one in particular.

"She won’t stop until she does." Chris responded. Inwardly, he dreaded what would happen when Mary returned to the Alliance with Stephen Travis. He knew for certain he would be unable to stay with the rebel cell in the Territory. Just seeing him with her, knowing Mary would never be his was more than Chris’s battered heart could take. Losing Sarah had almost killed him but at least she went with some finality. Mary would be taken from him piece at a time. He could not endure it. Not even a Jedi was strong enough for that.

The  _Rogue_  pulled away from its low orbit around Orron 3’s moon, causing all its occupants to feel the sudden movement tugging at their innards as it escaped the gravitation field of the small satellite. The squadron of TIE fighters was already speeding towards the planet and the  _Rogue_  caught up to them easily. The Corellian freighter stayed close enough to become lost in the signals of approaching ships Black Sun’s sensor surely must have detected by now and hoped the same went for the star destroyer, though this seemed unlikely. Still, Buck ensure his ship maintained enough distance for the fighters to assume the _Rogue_ was a part of normal ship traffic.

Fortunately, the Imperial pilots were more interested in their mission than the freighter and so the  _Rogue_  was regarded with general disinterest as it approached the planet. It took a matter of minutes for them to enter Orron 3 airspace and the darkness of the cockpit was soon illuminated by light from the blue morning sky. Orron 3 was a forest world and as the _Rogue_ surged towards its destination, it swept past large tracks of lush green vegetation, intermittently interrupted by bodies of water such as lakes and seas. None of this panoramic vista had any effect on the TIE fighters or the occupants of the _Rogue_. The readings pinpointing the exact location of Black Sun’s base were easier to read now they were skimming across the planet surface.

On his scanner, Buck noted the fighters shifting into attack formation and guessed they were very close to their target because they were preparing for aerial bombardment. Buck had no intention of being anywhere in the vicinity when that happened because it was too easy for some over eager flyboy to take shots at them. He changed course as the Black Sun fortress came into view.

"That’s it." Buck stated as the passengers got their first glimpse of the place.

Even in the light of day, it looked just as impressive. The sunlight gleamed off the surface of the dark rock and there was no doubt in their minds while aerial bombardment would eventually breach the fortress, it would not be any easy feat. The place wa erected to fend off aerial and terrestrial attacks. It was a fitting residence for an organization so feared.

"It feels cold." Vin pointed out, reminded of the chill he felt when Darth Vader was in close proximity but there was something more here, something he could not pinpoint. It made him uneasy.

Chris could sense it too but he was more adept at defining what was wrong. It felt as if there were something inside that fortress beyond the force. Like stepping into a vacuum chamber while outside, a millions voices screamed in unison. Chris shook off the disorientation and tried to shrink away from that emptiness but found himself inevitably drawn to it out of sheer curiosity.

"What’s wrong?" Josiah asked concerned, seeing the unsettled expression on Vin’s normally unflappable features. He saw the corresponding look on Chris’s face and immediately knew something beyond their immediate concerns was transpiring.

"I feel cold inside." Vin stammered. "I don’t know why."

"I do," Chris responded, staring straight ahead. "There’s something in that place that deflects the Force."

"That’s impossible." Josiah declared. "The Force is everywhere." Jedi spirituality always interested the former senator and he knew the Force was an energy field binding all living things together. Midiclorions were created at the formation of the universe and it was that through, which the Force flowed. The tiny organisms existed in the fabric of every thing that lived and breathed in the universe. For there to be an exception to the rule was unheard of.

"We can’t worry about this now," Chris said abruptly, forcing himself away from that place because they had more immediate concerns. "Buck set us down out of the firing range."

"You got that right." The pilot retorted as he saw the fighters spreading out and beginning their strafing runs. "I just hope we don’t get blasted to kingdom come trying to get there on foot."

Ezra winced at the imagery and let out a deep breath. "That is what I like about you Mr Wilmington, your unswerving optimism."

* * *

Mary had a plan that until a few moments ago was working quite well.

Prior to the commencement of the aerial bombardment, Mary had been aiding Laurel Chase with her evacuation of Black Sun, while Alex took care of arrangements in secret. The plan was a risky one and hinged entirely on the star destroyer sending out a squadron of TIE fighters. Mary expected they would be coming because there was no way Laurel would submit and simply hand over Stephen when it was more profitable for her to do otherwise. Mary had no illusions as to how ruthless Laurel would be in acquiring what she wanted after seeing the poor souls incarcerated in the dungeons below. Mary had done what was necessary, ensuring Black Sun made all the correct decisions and giving counsel to Laurel much to Glorith’s dislike, keeping the woman busy while Alex carried out her instructions.

When the bombardment started, Mary felt a swell of relief moving through her because she could see the fragmented pieces of her plan falling into place. Although she loathed to do it, Mary remained close to Laurel, ensuring she did not cause undue complications to the preparations Alex was undertaking at present. Most of the period was spent in the lady’s company as Laurel sat in her throne room, pretending nothing was going on and she was in complete control of the situation even though the Imperial Star Destroyer in orbit around the planet would seem to indicate otherwise. Mary offered her advice willingly, all the while growing more and more certain there was every chance Laurel knew exactly who she was and was merely playing along in order to use Mary's expertise until the crisis had passed.

As the detonations above became more fierce and the disarray continued to run rife throughout the Domicile, Mary tried to find someway to leave Laurel’s presence to join Alex. The time was drawing short and by now Alex would have set events into motion that could not be altered. However, every opportunity to do so was circumvented by Laurel who found some reason to keep Mary at her side.

"I ought to check on my ship," Mary spoke over the sound of blasts detonating above them. The structure rocked precariously, streams of dust and loosened mortar was drifting through the cracks of walls. The few guards in the room were looking about apprehensively. Laurel for her part, appeared calm as she sat on her throne like chair, dressed impeccably in a sheathe of green that melded against her body like a glove. She seemed completely unperturbed with what was happening. Mary wondered if she was truly that arrogant or did she have something planned none of her associates were privy to.

"I’m sure the Knife will be able to handle that task adequately," Laurel said breezily with a little smile. "I require you here at my side."

"Should not that be a job for Glorith?" Mary asked. "I don’t want to be stepping on any toes here. Your second in command is already out for my blood for getting all your attention."

"Glorith has her own amusement to occupy her attention," Laurel shrugged. "I find that you are better company."

"I would find that also, if we were on our way out of here." Mary pointed out. "This structure can't take much more. It's held up admirably but sooner or later, its going to start raining debris in here."

"We need not worry on our Imperial friends bringing down the Domicile on our heads, they are not foolish enough to risk what I have." Laurel said confidently.

"And what exactly do you have?" Mary asked as she counted how many guards there were in the room. There were five at the two exits, six if one counted Laurel. She did not know if she could take them all but if the timing was right, it was possible. In any case, she was not going to remain here and let her window of opportunity dissolve.

"I was hoping you would ask that." She remarked, her green eyes blazing with sinister light. Laurel glanced at the armrest and pressed a button on the small control panel there. She lowered her head slightly and then spoke.

"Yes, you can bring him in."

Mary felt her stomach clench as Laurel narrowed her eyes and glared at her. "You did not seriously think you were going to fool me for very long did you?"

Mary considered her next move and decided for the moment at least, she would continue her charade. "I beg your pardon?" Mary returned indifferently. However, she was observing everything, including the guards tightening their grips around their weapons.

"Do not play me for the fool!" Laurel bellowed. "How dare you come in here and think your pathetic charade would fool me? I am Laurel Chase, nobody fools me, especially not some rebel whore!"

"Rebel?" Mary exclaimed, feigning incredulity at Laurel’s accusation. "You think I’m a rebel?"

"You’re Mary Travis!" Laurel spat, rising out of her chair and striding towards her in full fury. "You’re a member of the Rebel Alliance and the Hero of Jofa! Did you simply believe I would accept all that wonderful advice you have been dispensing, was a product of observing some Imperial? You are no Mystral. Admit it."

"Why should I?" Mary baited her, knowing that nothing gave this creature more satisfaction then to be proven right. For as long as Mary could deny her that pleasure, she would continue to feign ignorance to Laurel’s accusation. "You seem to have made up your mind. If you are no fool, you should not need my confirmation. Should you?"

"Answer me!" Laurel screamed, lashing out and attempting to strike Mary’s face. However, the rebel leader caught her wrist with one hand before Laurel could make contact and snapped it back hard. Laurel let out a cry as the guards raised their guns to shoot.

"Go ahead!" Mary challenged them all. "Shoot me if you dare! Mary Travis is one of the most wanted rebels in the galaxy. If I am she and you kill me, the Empire will have your heads! What Mary knows is enough to finish the rebellion once and for all. Do you think the Emperor is going to forgive you destroying all that valuable information to save the likes of her?"

The guards looked uncertain. It was one thing to be outlaws these days, the Empire did not really pay that much attention to criminals but rebels were another thing entirely. The Empire made no secret of the fact they were absolutely ruthless when it came to apprehending members of the Rebel Alliance. Anyone harbouring rebels of impeding the progress of capturing them were dealt with the same manner. If there was even a chance this Mystral might be the person Laurel believed her to be, then shooting her could be a mistake of fatal proportions. The wrath of Black Sun’s leader might be terrible but it was nowhere in comparison to that of Emperor Palpatine.

Not giving them time to debate the issue to deeply, Mary locked her arm around Laurel’s throat and dug the barrel of her unholstered gun into Laurel’s side. "Drop your weapons or your master dies!"

"Shoot her!" Laurel squealed in fury.

Mary let of a warning shot ending any further protest that Laurel had to make.

"I’ll kill you for this!" Laurel hissed in outrage as Mary held firm.

"Now listen to me all of you!" Mary regarded the guards once again. "Imperial troops will be entering this place in a matter of hours. Your only chance of getting out of this alive is to leave _now_. Drop your weapons and get out!"

Slowly but reluctantly they began to comply, prompted to their final decision, not only by the weapon she was holding to Laurel’s side but also the growing intensity of the fighter bombardment on the fortress. The streams of dust were coming more frequently and there was a loud groaning noise moving throughout the structure echoing ominous threats of destruction. They hurried out of the room finally, leaving Mary and Laurel alone.

"You are her!" Laurel insisted.

"Maybe." Mary returned, trying to decide what to do. She glanced at her chronometer and saw the time was fast approaching when Alex would carry out her part of the plan.

Suddenly the far door opened and both Mary and Laurel looked up at the same time. Being dragged through the door by two guards was a figure both painfully thin and familiar. His skin was almost pasty white and as he was dragged towards them both, Mary could see the hollowness in his eyes and the gauntness that held his skin close to his bones. His features were partially covered in stubble and his clothes were filthy and torn. As he was being carried towards Laurel, he raised his head weakly and barely registered Mary in his dull, weary eyes.

"I believe you two have met." Laurel sneered.

Mary could only stare in horror.

It was Stephen.

* * *

Alex was pacing along the corridor, watching it anxiously for anyone who might stumble upon what she was doing.

There were far too many people running to transports, attempting to flee the Domicile to pay too much attention to two humans standing before a computer terminal. However, it would only take one to sound the alarm. Alex did not even mind being discovered, painfully aware it was always a possibility in operations like this. It would just be inconvenient if it happened before she was finished completing this vital part of Mary’s plan. Unfortunately, if it were her doing the work, Alex would not feel as apprehensive as she did but her expertise did not extend to slicing into the mainframe of the Operations Center of Black Sun.

"Are you almost done?" Alex hissed at Casey as she stood guard in the lone corridor.

"It would go faster if you didn’t ask me every few seconds." Casey returned, sounding nothing like a teenager at the moment. Her ability to slice through heavily encrypted computer systems was the one thing the girl could do with complete confidence and when she set to work, she was as professional as any adult that Alex ever met.

"Look, this whole place looks like it might come down soon." Alex returned tautly. "We have little time as it is to find Stephen and get those Wookies out of their cells."

"I know," Casey answered as if she were dealing with an impatient child while she set her tools and her fingers to the work on the computer terminal. She was moving through backdoors; finding firewalls and shattering their locks with specially designed programs that made all of cyberspace her exclusive domain. "But she’s got some pretty sophisticated software to protect her mainframe. I can’t get in there by just knocking."

"I know," Alex responded, deciding to relax and left Casey her work. As it was, Alex was none to happy to expose the girl to danger. The intention had always been to keep Casey inside the  _Tracker_ , to not reveal her existence to Laurel Chase and her organization. Casey was a conduit to Josiah Sanchez and if they captured her, the Senator would stop at nothing to see her safe return, even to the point of sacrificing himself. "I'm just worried about Mary."

"You've known each other a long time huh?" Casey asked as she continued to work.

"Something like that," Alex allowed herself a little smile. A long time seemed an inadequate way to describe her friendship with Mary. Sometimes, forever seemed a more appropriate word. Mary stepped into her life when Alex had needed her most. Orin Travis and her mother, Yasmine, Orin's second wife after his first Evie, had been only married for a year when she died during a shuttle accident. Alex was devastated by the loss, unable to cope with having a new stepfather and brother she hardly knew. If it was not for Mary, Alex could not have imagined enduring that first year where she felt utterly alone. They met as young teens in the Preparatory prior to Academy attendance and were billeted together. While Alex was wild and rebellious, Mary was serious and practical. They were night and day and somehow, they found the common ground to become life long friends. It had carried them through the Academy, through service as Imperial officers and as members of the Rebel Alliance.

"I'm into the system!" Casey announced.

Alex quickly went to her side and found the young girl keying in sequences through a portable terminal she used to interface with the Domicile's computer system. Casey's fingers were moving furiously as she inputed the new instructions overwriting the programming of a previously a near unbreakable security system. "Can you patch into the security systems on the prison level?"

"I've just accessed that sector now." Casey replied, as the small screen on the Domicile's terminal flashed with digitized data.

"Alright, disable all primary systems in the prison level." Alex instructed. "I want locking mechanisms opened and any kind of security grids or force fields shut down."

"The minute I lower those defences, the main monitoring systems will sound the alerts." Casey informed her.

"Can't you disable those?" She asked.

"Not unless you want me to take another twenty minutes. Those protocols are in a different sector and more encrypted than security." Casey pointed out. "Although I can give you ten minutes to delay the alert."

Ten minutes. It was not a great deal of time. Alex had already unloaded every weapon she could scrounge on the  _Tracker_  and left it in the dungeon. Fortunately, with an evacuation process taking place where equipment was being loaded onto ships and displaced, no one had noticed her bringing the cache of weapons to the prison level. Nor was anyone terribly interested in the prisoners when they were more worried about leaving the Domicile with their skins intact. Mary already told the Wookie female, Tula, what to expect. While Tula had been sceptical about Mary's words being sincere, Alex had a feeling the Wookie would become a believer once the doors to her cell were open.

"That will have to be enough." Alex decided. "Do it."

Casey took a deep breath and nodded, carrying out the task of giving the escapees a ten minute margin of time to escape their cells and make it out of the prison area. When that was done, she finally turned her attention to releasing the doors in the dungeon and glanced at Alex just as she was about to initialize the system.

"Here's goes."

The minute she disabled the locking mechanisms, bright red words began to pour into the screen warning of the breach in security. Casey immediately moved to ignore the message and the angry words disappeared.

"It's done."

"I knew you were not the Knife." A low voice with a decidedly reptilian hiss said behind them. Alex looked over her shoulder and found herself staring at Glorith Dal.

* * *

Thanks to the TIE fighters, the crossing from the  _Rogue_  to the Domicile did not draw any attention.

As Chris approached the base of the fortress, it was apparent the inhabitants had much larger issues to deal with. From the outside, the damage to the structure was apparent by the smouldering marks on the stone walls and the large sections of wall starting to crumble from the constant bombardment. It would not be long before severe breaches in the structure would cause it to collapse. The fighters were still raining down bolts of energy on the hapless building and Chris knew it was only the prelude to a ground assault. He would not be surprised if troop carriers were already on their way.

"There's the pressure door." Buck pointed out.

The small metal door was situated near the larger version where ships made their entry and exit out of the fortress. There was no chance of penetrating those for they were composed of inches thick beryllium but the pressure door was nowhere as secure and probably used for maintenance purposes. With all the activity taking place inside, he doubted that it was well guarded.

Upon reaching it, Vin took note of the control panel at the side of the wall. "I've seen one of these before." He announced and went to work on it immediately. "This won't take long."

"Look." Ezra pointed to the sky.

They all looked up at the same time to see an Imperial troop carrier in air. Its arrival prompted the withdrawal of the TIE fighters. It hovered over the ground some distance from them before descending.

"Vin," Chris said as he watched the vehicle disappeared into the tree line. "Work faster."

 


	13. Promise

The seconds that ticked by after Stephen Travis was brought before Laurel Chase seemed like an eternity to Mary.

Time seemed to slow as if they reaching the singularity at the center of a black hole. They faced each other, the short space between them the last leg of the great gulf keeping them a part for a whole year. She had moved on and he had remained frozen, lost and alone. His eyes met hers and even though there was some confusion because she did not look entirely like herself, he knew her instantly. There were tears glistening in his eyes as he dared to hope she was not an apparition, like the one that keeping him company in his dark cell for a year. 

"Mary….?" He croaked. His voice was barely a voice, just a hoarse whisper trying to make it past his throat. 

"Let me go or I’ll have him killed!" Laurel broke into their tearful reunion with her savage voice. Stephen’s arrival here had shifted the balance of power and given her an edge. "Guard, kill him unless she releases me!" 

Mary held on tight, not about to relinquish her hold on anything, not when she was privy to information Laurel was not. She glanced at her chronometer again and knew the seconds were inching closer for her to act. "The minute you kill my husband, your mistress will die. Make no mistake on that. If I am to lose him, it would be no trouble for me to reduce this beautiful face into ash." Mary glared at Stephen’s captors mercurially and in the face of her cold determination, saw them flinch with indecision. Without batting an eye, Mary said in the same icy voice. "Stephen, sit tight. I’ve got things in hand. 

He nodded mutely, mostly because he was too weak too do anything else and because in the memories he had been using to keep himself alive this past year, he knew when she made such statements, it was seldom false. 

"Oh really?" Laurel sneered. "Exactly how do you have things in hand Mary?" Her voice was full of smug triumph. "My people are all around you, my guards have your husband. Even if I do not have you skinned alive, the Empire will take possession of you. You have no way out." 

"Don’t you ever get tired of being wrong?" Mary asked, her gun no longer digging into the woman’s ribs. Instead her eyes were fixed on the two guards even though they thought she was looking at her husband. "You know Laurel," Mary continued to speak, mainly to distract the woman as her chokehold tightened. "I’m kind of surprised to see a woman like you, one who seduces like a female insect before devouring her mate. I thought your kind had died out in the dark ages. I suppose that with your ambitions, wanting to be a queen but without a throne, it’s the only way to get by. Still, you have to remember sex is too fragile a foundation to support the weight of your ego." 

"As opposed to you?" Laurel barked. "A righteous crusader fighting a hopeless cause?" 

"I have people who would be more than happy to die for me. All you have is paid servants who would run at the first sign of freedom." 

Suddenly, the air exploded with the sound of klaxons blaring with almost deafening levels. An electronic voice spoke over the chaos in loud clear tones. 

"WARNING – SECURITY BREACH ON PRISON LEVEL. WARNING SECURITY BREACH ON PRISON LEVEL." 

The emergency lights bathed the room in crimson but Mary ignored all the pandemonium, shutting out the noise and the change in light hues and fired her weapon twice. The first blast caught the guard holding Steven in the throat. She did not even have time to scream. The other prepared to fire but Mary had targeted her a split second after she pulled the trigger on the first. The bolt of energy caught her on the shoulder first, severing the nerve connected to the hand holding her gun. She dropped it immediately and staggered backwards. Mary did not waste time, taking swift aim again and firing. The third blast felled her to the floor just as dead as her companion. Stephen fell to his knees, unable to stand without support. He had been imprisoned under hellish conditions for a year and was in no shape to be of any help to himself or her.  

When the immediate threat dissolved Mary brought her weapon down on her captive’s skull. Laurel grunted in pain as Mary dropped her to the stone floor and hurried towards her husband. She had maintained her composure for this long but now the concern for his condition and had finally overcome her.  

"Stephen!" Mary exclaimed, pulling him to her in a warm embrace. "Oh my God Stephen!"  

"Mary, is it really you?" He asked again, his hands travelling over her face, feeling the familiar curves and lines he committed to memory this past year.  

"Yes," she nodded wildly, tears of joy running down her face. "Its me. Oh Stephen, I’ve missed you so much! I didn’t know you were here. I had no idea! We thought you were dead! When I went back home, there was nothing left!" 

"Billy?" Stephen asked fearfully. For the last year, he had been living with the hell of not knowing whether or not his son had escaped and reached safety. "Is Billy okay?" 

"He’s fine." She started to weep. "Stephen he’s so beautiful and he’s growing so fast. He’s going to be so happy to see you Stephen. Stephen I love you!" She embraced him again and felt his body shudder as he started to sob, finally crossing the threshold of belief he was not dreaming and that she was really here. 

She held him in her arms, even though she knew they could not stay and suddenly, Mary remembered something else. Her eyes flew past Stephen in an instant and felt her heart turn cold as she saw Laurel no longer where she had been. Mary searched the room in an even swifter flurry of time to see the leader of Black Sun retrieving a weapon from a secret compartment beneath her throne. The woman glared at her with a widening smile, seconds ahead of any reaction Mary could make as she aimed and pulled the trigger. Mary tried to recoup, tried to push him out of the way but the moment the gun discharged, she knew it was not her that Laurel intended to kill. 

"STEPHEN!" She screamed when she felt him spasm in her arms, following the blast of energy. His entire body convulsed and he was too weak to even cry out. There was merely a look of surprise as he collapsed forward, all strength draining from his body. Mary rolled him off her frantically, laying him down so she could examine the wound, all the while giving Laurel great satisfaction at the horror in her face. His back was a charred black mess. There was very little blood but it  was only because the laser had cauterized the wound with its heat. However, Mary was a soldier long enough to know he would not live long enough for her to get him to help.

He was going to die. 

Mary started to sob harder, trying frantically to do something to keep him from reaching that end but her keen mind told her it was too late. "Stephen, hold on! You’ll be okay, just hold on! I’ll get you out of here!"  

"Mary," he whispered, shaking his head. "I got to see you." He touched her face and felt a thousand delights beyond the pain of dying at the feel of her against his palm and the scent of her in his lungs. "I got to say goodbye." 

"NO!" She wailed in denial. "I won’t let you go." 

"How sentimental." Laurel said with glee. "Shall you still be in that pathetic condition when the Empire comes for you and I get my ten million credits?" 

Mary let go of Stephen and stood up at that, her blue grey eyes becoming black with fury as she turned her gaze upon Laurel.  

"You’ll never know," Mary answered in a voice that was not her own, "because I’m going to kill you." 

* * *

Thanks to the chaos taking place in the Domicile, it was relatively easy for the seven to go unnoticed as they searched for Mary.

Ships were being evacuated out of the main hangar and people were doing the level best to escape the premises before the Empire arrived in force. Chances were good they probably knew about the shock troopers about to storm the fortress and were ignoring the seven's presence in favour of escaping prior to that arrival. Chris had been using his Jedi senses to hone in on Mary’s present location. It was no easy thing to do. If it were not for the strong emotional bond between them, he would never have been able to sift through the sea of frantic emotions currently flooding the place, to pinpoint her exact location. 

However, as he was in the process of telling Vin, JD and Josiah to go find the  _Tracker_ , something sliced through his mind with such intensity, everything else was temporarily forgotten. That light in the fog suddenly became a strobe, cutting through everything until Chris could only sense nothing else.  He knew instantly it was Mary. He knew it because he could feel her rage burning through his mind.  White-hot fury the likes of which he had never sensed from her  before washed over him and Chris  was rather staggered by it. 

"Chris," Vin called out. "What is it?" The apprentice saw the strained expression on his master's face. In fact they had all seen it. 

"Its Mary." Chris managed to say after a moment. "Something's happened."

They were standing in a large corridor, one end led to the hangar deck while the other took them deeper into the fortress.  

"Is she alright?" Nathan asked quickly. 

"She angry." Chris responded, somewhat dazed. The anger was overwhelming in its power and Chris had to crush it into submission or else it would infect him too. He raised his eyes to them. "She’s furious. I can feel her rage."

"Stephen." Buck said without having to think twice. 

"Can you find her?" Ezra cut in. The metaphysics of this could wait until later, they needed to retrieve the woman and get out of here before those troops arrived. 

"Yes," Chris nodded, "I can find her." 

"Good," Ezra retorted. "Then I think we should follow your plan and have Vin find his ship. If worse comes to pass, we may need it for a speedy exit from this place." 

"He’s right." Nathan agreed. "We’re pressed for time." 

"Alright," Vin nodded and glanced at JD and Josiah. "We’ll go this way. I’m guessing you can find me."

"I think I’ll manage." Chris remarked and then added on a more serious note. "Good luck." 

"You too."

He would need it, Chris thought inwardly. If what he was sensing from Mary was even as half as bad he suspected, he would need more than luck. 

* * *

The bolt of energy flew over her shoulder and impacted the ground behind her but Mary hardly noticed it or bothered with any mundane thoughts of self-preservation. Laurel winced at her miss and cocked the weapon to fire again but this time Mary was not giving her the chance. She lunge at the woman brought her down in a full body tackle, knocking the weapon from Laurel’s hand as she fell. The blaster skittered across the smooth polished floor, disappearing out of reach. Laurel cried out indignantly but Mary hardly heard her words, she could only remember what the woman had done.  

"BITCH!" Mary screamed as she straddled Laurel who was flaying wildly in an effort to throw Mary off her. However, Laurel who had traded in her looks all her life knew nothing about protecting herself because she always had someone to do it for her. This time was no exception. Mary caught Laurel’s hand with nails bared trying to scratch and if it were not for Stephen lying behind her dying, she would have almost found it amusing. She slammed the woman’s hand against the floor and pinned it with one bent knee before throwing a full fist into her face. 

She heard Laurel screaming in her ear, heard a litany of profane words escaping the woman, as she demanded to be released even though it seemed distant somehow. Mary could only think of Stephen, could think of how she failed him by underestimating this sadistic creature and how she would never rest until she killed the bitch with her bare hands. She hardly noticed her fists were becoming bruised as she struck flesh repeatedly. It did not even register Laurel’s demands had lost their arrogance and were fast descending into desperate pleas for mercy. 

 _Mercy?_  

The words sounded obscene coming from Laurel after what Mary had seen. Those poor Wookies in the prison level who were now free and hopefully screaming bloody murder for all the wrong Black Sun had done to them. Young, old, weak, strong, they had all been butchered by this woman for profit and as if Laurel could not commit any worse crime, she had now taken Stephen from her at the very moment they found each other again. There was no punishment to fit that crime except to rip away all that made her beautiful. Those looks that had allowed her to seduce her evil empire into being, would have to be destroyed or Laurel would win and that was something Mary could not stand. She unsheathed her gun and aimed it at Laurel’s face.  

The woman was badly beaten, her jaw was misshapen and her face was covered with dark bruises. Her blood stained Mary’s fists. Her green eyes stared at Mary, unable to speak, unable to say any more words of poison like she had when she had shot Stephen. 

"Please…." Laurel strained through shattered teeth.  

"Please?" Mary almost laughed maniacally. "How many people have you heard those words from? How many begged you to let them live? How many who will never have the chance again? I think you’ve lost your right to ask. You’ve taken away the father of my child," Mary’s voice started to crack. "You stole him away a year ago and now you’ve made sure he’ll never see his son again. For that you have to pay, but take comfort in the fact that I won’t kill you. You just won’t be needing a mirror any time soon." 

"Mary, that’s enough."  

Mary turned around and found Chris standing a few feet away. Behind him Nathan and Ezra was hurrying towards Stephen while Buck stood guard at the door they entered. 

"What are you doing here?" Mary demanded angrily as she continued lowering the intensity on her blaster, preparing to do her worse on Laurel Chase. 

"We came to take you home." 

"He is my home!" She stared at Stephen, "and this animal just shot him in the back!"  

"I know that but you’re not a murderer." Chris took another step, aware in her present state it would not be that impossible for her to turn the weapon on him. She was certainly angry enough. He let his gaze touch Nathan’s for a moment as the captain tended to Mary’s husband. Nathan had already reached Stephen and was examining the wound they all knew was mortal. He raised his eyes to Chris and confirmed it. 

Mary stared at Chris, imploring him to understand, she had to do this. "I won’t let her get away with this." 

"We won’t." He said firmly. "I promise you." 

"She just shot him Chris!" Mary shouted, feeling her resolve waver. Why did Chris have to be here? This was hard enough to do without having him watch her do this thing! She had to avenge Stephen! She had to do something! She failed him so miserably! 

"I know." Chris responded. "As much as I want to find who killed Sarah and Adam, I know that won’t bring them back just as what you're planning to do to that woman won’t change what’s happening to Stephen." 

Stephen Travis, what was left of him, watched silently as the rebel captain and his companion tried to pull him back from the abyss into which he was descending. He saw his wife, the sorrow and anguish on her face and the stranger trying so hard to keep her from doing something unforgivable. Even as his life drained from him, he could tell that his Mary was listening to the man even though it might now seem like it. She was always a force of nature, his beautiful golden Mary, the only woman he ever loved. She always took so much upon herself and it was always his greatest privilege to be the only part of her life who could always be counted on to make her burden seem a little more bearable. Now he was dying and though there were many regrets, it did not seem as bad as knowing she would have to shoulder all that responsibility alone once he was gone.

Or maybe not, if the way the stranger was staring at his wife was any indication.

Mary was still sitting on top of Laurel, the barrel of her gun still pressed against Laurel’s bloodied cheek. She had not pulled the trigger of the weapon but neither had she withdrawn it. She merely sat there, eyes black, tears running down her face. Chris knew perfectly well what it was too hate with so much fury. He knew it because he had once felt that kind of rage. Mary had been the impetus to make him let go of all that anger. It was she who taught him to stop mourning Sarah and Adam to instead relish their lives and what they had meant to his existence, to honour them by taking up a cause to spare other husbands from enduring the same loss.

"Mary," Chris said again, certain that his words were reaching her. "Don’t let the last thing Stephen sees in this life is you turning into a killer. Don’t make his death meaningless." 

The words penetrated and with an audible gasp of horror, it splashed over her like cold water. She looked at the weapon in her hand, realised she was about to become no better than Laurel. Furious at herself, she flung it away.  She climbed off Laurel, not even looking at Chris as she crossed the floor and ran to her husband’s side. 

"Stephen." Mary knelt down next to him as Nathan withdrew, unable to do any more for the man. "Stephen, you have to hang on. We’re going to take you home." 

"Mary," he whispered and placed his hand on his cheek. "I got to say goodbye." 

"No, Stephen," she shook her head wildly, crying harder now. "This is not goodbye." 

A loud roar muffled her response as a loud explosion roared in their ears. Overhead, the structure heaved in protest. Klaxons began screaming even more furiously. 

"That was not a fighter blast." Ezra informed them. "That was a charge explosion."  

Ezra need not have guessed the cause because an instant later, the alarms screaming breach, were now issuing a different message. 

"WARNING. IMPERIAL TROOPS HAVE ENTERED THE BASE. IMPERIAL TROOPS HAVE ENTERED THE BASE." 

"We have to go and we have to go  _right now_!" Buck Wilmington shouted from his position. 

"Mary," Stephen said weakly, he was starting to fade and he knew it. "You…have…to…go." 

"NO!" She shouted vehemently, "Stephen I am not leaving you! You’re coming with us!"  

"Mary," he shook his head. "You have to go for Billy." 

"I won’t leave you Stephen!" She cried refusing to let go of him. 

"Mare," he tried prying her fingers from his ragged clothes. "I love you. I will always love you but for me, you have to go now." 

"Don’t ask me Stephen." She sobbed, "don’t ask me to do that!" 

Stephen looked over her shoulder at the stranger whose eyes were filled with anguish at seeing his Mare in so much grief. He recognised something in that moment which made his slipping out of this world a great deal easier to bear. The darkness was all around him now, it was starting to creep at the edges of his vision and was slowly shrinking his consciousness. He could no longer feel his body and knew the coldness he felt was the beginning of his end. Raising his uncertain eyes, he met the intense gaze of the man staring at Mary with an emotion he knew all to well and realised the man was a Jedi. The Jedi believed in the afterlife, all things became apart of the Force, Stephen rather liked that idea.  

Chris Larabee saw Stephen Travis staring at him andrealised Stephen knew exactly how he felt about Mary. However, the man did not look back at him with betrayal or anger but rather hope and that startled the Jedi.  

"Take her." He ordered and Chris knew that Stephen was speaking  _only_   to him.  

For a moment, Chris almost refused because he could feel Stephen’s life draining away. He was almost dead. He had lasted this long on sheer will alone and suddenly Chris understood why Mary loved him so much.  

"TAKE HER!" Stephen cried again, more insistently with enough force to snap Chris out of his shock.  

That last order took all the energy Stephen Travis had left and as he saw the Jedi shocked into moving, he returned his fading vision back to his wife. Back to his Mary. 

"I love you Mary." He whispered and then he died. 

"NO! STEPHEN!" Mary wailed. "NO!" 

Chris felt his heart break at the sound of her tortured cry as the life slipped out of Stephen and he faded away into nothingness.

"Come on Mary," he said trying to tear her away from her husband. He could feel every ounce of her pain and wished there were some way he could take it away but there were some things even beyond a Jedi’s ability to heal. 

"NO!" She insisted. "STEPHEN!" 

"Chris," Buck shouted, peering back at them from the door again. "We really have to go!"  

Chris nodded firmly and did the only thing he could do; he swept her into his arms and picked her up bodily.  

"LET ME GO!" She shouted. "I won’t leave him!" 

"Mary he’s gone." Chris said softly, wishing he did not have to do this but he had no choice. What Buck did not say but was certainly the case, Imperial troops were swarming the building and unless they departed now, they would not be leaving at all.

"No he’s not!" She insisted, refusing to believe it, her senses raw and still in shock. There was a part of her that could not believe she had come all this way to lose him all over again.

They did not have time to debate the issue, carrying her in his arms, Chris pulled her away from Stephen’s dead form.

"NO!" She shouted, her hands clawing wildly for Stephen as the others hurried to the door ahead of him. "Let me go!"

Chris hardened his heart, thinking he would never again be called upon to do anything as agonising as burying Sarah and Adam, until this moment. Mary’s cries stabbed at him and yet he knew he could not give in to her. They had to leave now, while they still could and he had promised Stephen he would take her away from here. No matter how painful it was going to be for Mary, Chris had no intention on reneging on that promise. It was the last thing the man had asked of anyone and it was for the safety of the woman he was leaving behind. 

Ignoring her desperate pleas to stop, Chris kept his grip on her even though she was alternating between her screams to be let go and her cries for her dead husband. He looked up at Nathan and Ezra, seeing their faces full of empathy even though neither of them wished to be in his place.

"Let’s get out of here." Chris said quietly with Mary’s voice screaming for Stephen in his ears.


	14. Departure

Casey run!"

Alex shouted as Glorith lunged at her. The young girl barely had time to move from the computer terminal she used to slice into the Domicile’s security system when the reptilian attacked. The Selonian pounced like a coiled snake with both Alex and Casey having little time to get out of her path as she soared through the air with her razor sharp claws extended and her serrated teeth bared.

"Get to the ship!" Alex barked at Casey who was clutching her portable terminal to her chest, at a loss over what to do. "NOW!"

Casey jumped at the sound of Alex’s voice and started moving although she was somewhat reluctant to leave the operative behind. However, as she saw Alex and Glorith about to go head to head, she realised remaining behind would only be a hindrance to Alex, not a benefit. Fighting the knots in her stomach, the girl started running down the corridor, casting an anxious glance over her shoulder at regular intervals before Alex finally disappeared out of her line of sight.

Alex did notice any of this because she was too busy trying to keep Glorith from tearing out her throat. The resentment the Selonian felt at being usurped of her position and the damage to her prestige in Laurel’s eyes was evident by the snarl emitted by the reptilian as she landed on the floor, a few inches away from Alex with her scaled limbs flaying wildly. Alex stepped back, giving herself enough room to manoeuvre and did not react until Glorith gave her an opening. Aware of the narrow margin of time in which she had to act, Alex waited for her moment before striking, slamming her foot into the side of Glorith’s knee, forcing the Selonian to her knees. A split instant later, Alex threw a high kick that connected with Glorith’s jaw. The reptilian staggered backwards but she was stronger than Alex and her tough hide ensured she could endure several lethal punches without damage.

"I knew you were not the Knife!" Glorith hissed as she swung at Alex with such speed her limbs were like turquoise streaks in front of her.

"Gee, it only took sabotaging the Domicile for you to realise that." Alex retorted. "Are all Selonians this dumb?"

Glorith let out roar of indignation and swung. Alex leapt back to avoid the path of those half-inch talons but not far enough. Glorith’s claws ripped through the material of her body suit and met soft skin. Alex let out a soft cry as she felt her skin being lacerated and realised chillingly had she not stepped back when she did, her intestines would most likely be spilling out onto her feet by now. Alex saw another arm swinging at her and caught it this time. Glorith swung her other arm in fury and was met with the same resistance. She pushed hard towards Alex, trying to free her captured arms when Alex brought up one of her knee and planted it firmly against the Selonian’s sternum so Glorith could not lean forward to take a bite out of her neck. Using the enemy’s body to brace herself, Alex kicked hard again and let go of Glorith’s hands, disrupting her balance as she fell backwards.

She ran forward as Glorith stumbled and threw another powerful kick in to the Selonian’s side. She was preparing to throw another sidekick when Glorith grabbed her leg and twisted it around so forcefully Alex fairly spun in mid air. When the Selonian released her, she came down hard on the floor only to feel sharp claws digging into her scalp. Alex let out a yell of pain as she felt rivulets of warmth running through her hair at the sharp point in her skull. Throwing her leg up in a high kick, the toes of her boots slammed into the top of Glorith’s skull and resulted in her release.

Her head was stinging in pain but Alex brushed the sensation aside as she defended herself against Glorith’s latest attack. The operative met the bounty hunter's punches, blow for blow for they were evenly matched despite the differences in species. Glorith was fast but Alex was better trained and both of them managed to do significant damage to one another as they traded punches. However, Alex felt the time pressing against her and knew she had to finish this quickly because Mary was waiting for her, not to mention what Casey was up to alone.

"You’re good," Glorith managed to say when they paused a moment to recoup their energy. "You are not the Knife but you fight well. I will consider it an honour to kill you."

"As will I." Alex said sweetly as she ran forward and struck with a running kick that almost threw Glorith across the room. The reptilian slammed into the wall, her head taking the brunt of the impact and was momentarily disorientated. Not giving her chance to recover, Alex kicked her again, pushing her back against the obstruction once more as her ability to come back from the blow began to slow, giving Alex more opportunity to attack. Alex lashed out with her fists this time, one after the other, determined not to walk away until she was certain she would not have to look over her shoulder when she and Mary escaped from this place.

 

* * *

Casey ran through the hangar, hoping no one paid much attention to her but there was very little danger of that happening with people more concerned about their own escape to worry about her presence among them. Overhead, she could hear the emergency warning system telling them about the impending arrival of Imperial troops in the Domicile and Casey felt stabs of fear as she closed in on the _Tracker_. She hoped she would not still be waiting inside the vessel for Alex and Mary when those soldiers breached the Domicile. Having almost once fallen into their custody, Casey did not relish the idea of being in their power again, not to mention what awful things they might to do to her in order to get to Uncle Josiah. 

 _Uncle Josiah_ , she thought with a wave of fear almost equalling the anxiety she felt at being an Imperial prisoner. He would be so furious with her if he knew she was here. In truth, he probably already knew she was gone but Casey hoped when they returned to the Alliance, Mary might be willing to intercede on her behalf and take the edge of his anger. Anything had to be better than facing him alone face to face.

"CASEY WELLS! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" 

Casey froze at the impossibility of that voice being here but she knew it too well to be mistaken. Turning around, she almost went white with stunned shock when she saw Uncle Josiah standing before, his face twisted in an expression of disbelief and horror, with Vin Tanner and God, she groaned inwardly, JD Dunne, standing next to him in equal astonishment.

"Uncle Josiah." Casey stammered.

"What are you doing here?" Josiah demanded again, unable to believe that she was standing before him. When he had first caught sight of her running across the hangar floor, he thought he was mistaken but the others had seen her and was just as certain it was Casey and not someone who just looked like her. Josiah was almost choking in outrage at her presence in Black Sun's Domicile, especially after hearing how dangerous the place was, not to mention it was under attack by the Empire. 

"I have really good explanation but I think Alex should tell it." She stuttered, knowing it was not going to get her out of trouble in the slightest. 

"Alex?" Vin asked suddenly, "where is she?" 

"I can show you!" Casey spoke up, trying to do anything she could think of to keep from telling Josiah how she had come to be on the  _Tracker_. Somehow, she had a feeling he was not going to be very impressed by her tale of being a stowaway.  

"Just point." Vin stopped her before she could get past them. "By the way, where is my ship?" 

"Its in Docking Bay 2," Casey answered, trying to avoid Josiah’s critical gaze or the smirk on JD’s face. "I can show you where it is!" 

"You’ll show me where it is." Josiah said firmly. "Then you can explain yourself, young lady." 

"You’re in trouble." JD smirked in a sing song voice. 

"You’re such a jerk!" Casey spat at him. 

"At least I’m a jerk who’s not in  _trouble_. " He repeated in that annoying tone. 

"HEY!" Vin cut in, sharing the same irritated expression at the duo’s behaviour. "Let’s get a grip here. Where is Alex?" 

"She’s down that corridor." Casey said meekly, pointing towards the far end of the hangar. "Vin you gotta hurry, she’s fighting this big reptilian woman." 

"Glorith." Vin recognised her description immediately before turning to Josiah. "You three get to my ship and fire her up. I’m going to get Alex." 

Vin did not wait for an answer and hurried across the hangar floor, fighting the bodies hurrying to their own transports before more Imperial troops entered the fortress. When he was gone, Casey found herself onthe receiving end of a hard stare from her uncle. 

"I’ve got a really good reason why I’m here Uncle Josiah, honest." She said trying to sound her most sincere even though it was not easy to do with JD gloating in smug satisfaction.  

"I'll bet." JD snorted. 

"Why don't you shut up!" She glared at him. "Peasant!"

"Yeah I am," he said with a smile, "but at least I'm not the one in trouble."

Josiah rolled his eyes and wondered if it would really be a bad thing if he broke his promise to his dear sister by just leaving them both here.

The storm troopers would not stand a chance. 

* * *

Vin Tanner hurried down the corridor and heard the familiar sounds of flesh slapping against flesh in what sounded like bare-knuckled brawl of great savagery. He turned the corner and stopped short at sight of Alex and the Selonian he knew was Glorith Dal, battling like two hellions. Their combat was almost beautiful, a perfect expression of slick coordination wrapped up in brutal strength. Alex was holding her own against her opponent and Vin could not help but sigh at the sight of her sleek movements even in this ferocious undertaking.

 _She was incredible_ , Vin thought to himself and then realised perhaps he ought to be helping her instead of gawking at her like a teenager.

"Alex!" Vin called out. 

Both women froze for an instant and turned sharply at his direction. While Alex was dumbfounded at his presence Glorith merely narrowed her slitted yellow eyes and stared at Vin with her teeth bared.

"So Tanner, you have come for your lover?" 

 _Lover_?

Vin's brow knotted with confusion. "What's she talking about?" He asked Alex as the two combatants paused for the moment.  

Alex did not respond because her attention was unwisely fixed on his surprise appearance. It was an unfortunate distraction. 

Vin saw Glorith pull back her arm and realised in an instant of horror what was about to happen. "Alex, watch out!"  

Events seemed to slow to a crawl as Alex shifted her eyes back to Glorith, just in time to see the Selonian swing her claws in a clean swipe at her mid section. The claws sunk deep into her skin in a perfect arch, slicing through flesh and organs beneath Alex's ribs. She let out a soft cry as she felt the pain cut through her, felt the warmth spill out of the torn skin until it became wet and heavy in her clothes. She looked ahead and saw a bolt of energy strike Glorith in the shoulder, sending the Selonian flying across the room. Alex watched in a dazed stupor as the reptilian hit the ground and did not stand up again. For herself, she didn't realise she had fallen until  her knees struck the hard stone floor. However, the pain seemed inconsequential in comparison to the agony of her wounds. 

Vin was there to catch her before she collapsed completely to the floor. He caught her in his arms as she slumped forward and felt a cold chill running through when her blood seeped through his clothes as he held her. Forcing away his horror, he quickly turned her over so he could examine her injuries. There was no need for a detailed examination because the wounds were clear enough. She was bleeding out after the Selonian's razor like claws shredded her insides like paper. She was still conscious but clearly in agony even though she tried valiantly not to show it. Vin had seen wounds like this before and he knew unless he got her help soon, she would die.  

"I'm getting you out of here." He said brushing her hair out of her lovely face as he carried her. "Just hold on okay? I'm going to take care of you."

She was losing coherence but her glassy eyes were still fixed on him. "You can't even put a light sabre together."

Vin tried to crack a smile as he secured his grip on her and hurried back down the corridor towards the main hangar. "But I think you're crazy about me." 

Alex opened her eyes and looked directly at him, completely focused before she answered. "Don't flatter yourself, it wasn't  _that_   good a kiss."

Then she passed out. 

* * *

 

"Watch your back!" Nathan shouted.  

Ezra swung around and fired at the Imperial stormtrooper raising his blast rifle to fire. He sent the man sprawling as the bolt of energy cut down the trooper before Ezra turned his back on him and continued forward again. Fortunately, that was the only trooper behind them and Ezra made a mental note to keep his face obscured to any other approaching troopers. While it was difficult to for anyone to identify him clearly with all the confusion taking place at the moment, Ezra knew it was not wise to take anything for granted. He was more valuable to the Rebellion occupying his present position on Cordoba and he was not ready to join the organization entirely just yet.

"The ship's in Docking Bay 2!" Buck called out to them as they moved through the doors that led to the main hangar. The pilot received his information via his com link while he took flanking position next to Chris who was in no condition to be able to defend himself as he had his hands full with Mary. The leader of the Rebel Alliance in the territory was still sobbing tearfully, incoherent to anything but her loss. Considering what she had just endured, no one could blame her. 

The hangar was in an even more frantic state of activity then before and their presence was hardly noticed as they ran across the floor. The main center of activity seemed to be the transports being commandeered by Wookies. Black Sun's personnel were being hurled out of their ships by the formidable race who seemed extremely violent and were not padding any of their punches. Ezra's sense of chivalry almost induced him to go to the aid of the Black Sun members, because they were women before he realised he was not eager to incur the wrath of any Wookies, not to mention that there might be reason for their rough handling.

"What's going on?" Buck asked mystified. "There's wall to wall fur in here!"  

"Don't complain," Ezra retorted, "just be grateful that they will provide interference when the Empire arrives." 

"Will the Empire hurt them?" Nathan asked concerned.  

"I do not know," Ezra shrugged, "it depends on their circumstances here. However, I do not think there will be many for the Empire to find." He gestured towards one of the larger transport carriers where Wookies were embarking in force, much to the chagrin of the Black Sun members who originally occupied it.  

"I hope they make it." Nathan mused softly. If everything he heard about Laurel Chase was true, then he doubted the Wookies were here by choice. No doubt, the woman probably had some heinous use for them that warranted their fury at the Black Sun members in their path as they attempted to leave the fortress. 

"They will." Ezra patted his friend on the shoulder. "Fortune favours the foolish. We must keep moving." 

They had turned down the small corridor that led to Docking Bay 2 when suddenly; the group was confronted by a large Wookie with russet fur who was not letting them pass. She almost a foot higher than Buck who was the tallest among them and was heavily armed. She growled angrily at them and aimed the weapon in their direction, daring them to move. Her gaze was fixed on Mary in particular and did not seem happy Chris was carrying her.

"You want to use some of that animal magnetism of yours Buck?" Nathan retorted sarcastically. "I think she's female." 

"Very funny." Buck gave him a look.  

Chris stepped forward, still holding Mary in his arms and noted the way the Wookie was looking at her. 

The emotions he sensed were not anger or hatred and he came to the understanding her hostility towards them was engendered out of concern for Mary. Chris opened his Jedi senses further despite the fact they were still somewhat raw from the emotional turmoil of dragging Mary from Stephen, and discovered Mary's part in the alien's liberation.

"We're her friends." Chris explained, certain the Wookie understood him. "She has lost her mate." He glanced at Mary who was sobbing in the crook of her shoulder.

The Wookie named Tula uttered out a soft growl, indefinable as a language unless one had a universal translator but Chris understood the sentiment behind it all too well. It reeked of sympathy for Mary's sorrow.  

"Come with us." He said. 

Tula growled again and the tone of her response could be considered an affirmative, which was reinforced when she lowered her weapon. She looked at the men with him and wrestled for a moment with whether or not she could trust them, however, she would not leave Mary's side. 

"Chris, are you certain about this?" Ezra asked warily after he pushed himself to the front and found himself swallowing at the sight of the Wookie's bulk. 

"Yes I am." He nodded. "She's not going to let us go anywhere with Mary." 

"If you say so." The Imperial officer agreed, becoming conscious of the shooting he could hear outside and was certain the Imperial troops were entering into the hangar. "However, I do not recommend that we remain here for much longer." 

"Ezra's right," Buck agreed. "They're coming in fast." 

"Well Madam," Ezra glanced up anxiously at Wookie female, "if you are coming with us, I suggest that you let us pass."

 Tula let out a grunt of approval, not certain of what exactly was said but appreciated the sentiments behind it and stepped aside, allowing them to continue ahead, falling behind them a second later. 

* * *

The first thing Mary truly become conscious of after she had been torn away from Stephen was being inside the  _Tracker_  once more. Everything else until this point was a blur she did not want to define a symphony of pain she did not want to recognise. However, when she saw the familiar metallic hull enclose her world, the anguish of returning here without Stephen penetrated the veneer of grief she had surrounding herself. With sensation seeping into her consciousness, Mary became aware of Chris's arms holding her and yet she could not be grateful he had brought her here. All she felt was this cold numb feeling inside of her that threatened to snap her in half from its sheer intensity.

"Let me go!" She snapped as they entered the  _Tracker_ , suddenly returning from the limbo where she had been since she was forced away from Stephen kicking and screaming. 

The others had scattered to take their seats in the preparation for launch. The deck was humming beneath them and the engines were more than ready for blast off. She could hear the reverberation of systems coming alive across the vessel and internal lights flooding the decks. More and more systems were being initiated as the pre-flight checks were made. To get past the inevitable Imperial blockade would tax even Buck Wilmington's skill and the pilot was already shouting at everyone to strap themselves in as they waited for Vin to arrive. 

Chris loosened his grip around her and allowed her to stand on her own accord when Mary broke free of him herself and turned on him. "Why did you make me leave him!" She demanded. Her eyes wide with accusation. 

"I had no choice." Chris returned softly, his expression unreadable as he answered. "We had to go." 

"You didn't have to take me away from him!" She shouted furiously. "I should have been with him! You should have left me!" She cried beating her fists against his chest in anger. "You had no right!"  

"Mary..." Buck who was present started to speak in Chris's defence, recognising the sorrow in his old friend's face as he took Mary's verbal barrage stoically. Buck had seen the anguish in Chris's eyes when he made the decision to get Mary out of there after Stephen died. It was a position Buck never wanted to find himself.

"You should have left me there!" She shouted again, tears running down her face, continuing to hit him with her hands even though he made no move to stop her. "I should be there with him!"

Chris swallowed thickly, feeling a visible lump in his throat that did not dissipate after that action and his heart seemed to shrink at her angry words, but he knew she was in pain and that she needed to take it out on somebody. He cared enough about her to be that somebody. However, Chris also had to make her understand he had not merely taken her out of there for her sake as well as his own but also for the sake of Stephen Travis who did not want the woman he loved,  sacrificing herself for him needlessly

"I had to get you out of there Mary," Chris said quietly. "I had to because  _Stephen_  asked me." 

Mary stopped short and for a few seconds she held his gaze as the last vestiges of her restraint crumbled completely and all he could do was to draw her close to him as she began to weep. Chris glanced over his shoulder to ask Buck for a moment alone but the pilot was already gone. Turning back to her, he slid his arms over her body and drew her to him. Mary did not protest as she buried her face in the crook of his shoulder and began to cry harder. Chris wanted her to shed her tears, knowing it was not easy for her to do. She tried to be strong and brave for the benefit of everyone and it was not often she was permitted to show she could be hurt like anyone else. Mary let herself be drawn into his embrace, allowing him to cradle her in his comforting arms as she cried for Stephen and the realisation that this time she had lost him for good. 

"Oh Chris!" She wept tearfully. "It's not fair!" 

"I know," he spoke softly into her hair, holding her gently because she needed to be held by someone to whom she was unafraid to show her vulnerabilities. "I'm sorry Mary. If there were any way I could have saved him, I would have done it. For you."

It was the truth. No matter how much it would hurt him to lose her, he could not imagine hurting her by allowing Stephen to die, even if it was for his own selfish reasons. He cared for her too much to deny her a life with the man she married and with whom she had borne a son.  

"I know you would have," she nodded and answered in a small voice, still weeping through her words. "I just never thought I'd find him to lose him all over again." She broke down once more and sobbed more deeply, clinging to him tight because he was the only one in the universe who could possibly understand what she was feeling. 

"You haven't lost him Mary," Chris whispered, stroking her hair gently while he continued to hold her. "You carry him in your heart every day and he lives in your son. He may not be here but you still have him, never doubt that." 

Mary looked up and met his eyes. Emotion welled up in those pools of blue grey perfection as she gazed back him and started to speak when suddenly, they heard foot steps hurrying up the ramp. 

"Hey can I get some help here!" Vin Tanner demanded as he came on board his ship. 

The former bounty hunter was more than grateful to see his ship again but any elation at the return of his beloved vessel felt sour in the face of Alex's injury. She was still breathing but fortunately had lapsed into consciousness. Vin never felt more thankful of the fact he had equipped his ship with the best in medical equipment money could buy. This was mostly because he could ill afford to stop at a medical centre whenever he was injured when he was trail of a bounty. 

"Oh no!" Mary exclaimed horrified at the possibility of losing another person in her life so soon after Stephen. She could not bear it. Pulling herself away from Chris, she hurried to the apprentice and to her best friend. Alex's injury was returning her back to her senses far more efficiently than anything else. "Lex!"  

"She's still alive." Vin assured her, seeing the tears in her eyes and guessing something terrible had happened if the emotions he was sensing from both Chris and Mary were any indication. "We need to get her to my medical bay." 

"What happened?" Chris asked as he followed them out of the passageway attached to the main hatch. 

"She had a run in with a Selonian." Vin replied quickly.  

"I've had enough of Stars End." Mary said with an edge to her voice as she saw Alex being carried away. The injury to her best friend reminded Mary there were still other people in her life she could not afford to lose. The pain of losing Stephen was a knife in her heart and she could grieve privately later but right now, they had to leave this place. So much had been lost already and she still had no idea whether or not Laurel Chase was counted among the dead however.  Right now, the only thing that mattered was putting Star's End behind them.

With a sad sigh, she took Chris's hand in hers and surprised him by the warmth and affection in her touch considering her harrowing experience. There was no longer any anger in her face, just the sadness of loss. He could tell she had accepted her husband's death even though she was far from over it.

"What do you want to do?" He asked quietly even though he knew the answer already.

Mary met his gaze directly and said firmly. "Let's get the hell out of here. I want to go home."

Chris was happy to oblige her.


	15. Visitors

Ezra Standish entered his office at the Cordoba outpost and found little had changed during his brief absence.

It was odd to admit but after the turbulence of the last few days, with his journey to Star's End, Stephen Travis's death and its effect on Mary, not to mention seeing his mother, the quiet benign surroundings of his little space in the outpost was actually quite welcoming. There were reports and duty logs piled up in his in tray, no doubt requiring his assessment and his beverage mug was steaming with heat which indicated Claire was up to her usual efficient self. Outside his window, he could see the ships flying arriving and departing at the main space station and supposed there was an arrival and departure log for him to review on his desk as well.

For once, Ezra did not mind that mundane undertaking after the chaos of his life the last few days. They returned from Star's end with the _Rogue_ dropping him off in Pzob so he could take a commercial carrier back to Wild Space without arousing suspicion. Vin remained on the _Tracker_ with Alexandra Styles still in his medical bay and flew directly back to their hideout, since she needed proper medical care immediately. The others had opted to make the return journey on the _Rogue_ since the _Tracker_ was not as a big a vessel as the Incom Corsair Corellian freighter. Despite the fact his entire trip away had been fraught with danger, Ezra knew he did not mind it at all.

He had enjoyed seeing Nathan again and accompanying him on the mission to retrieve Mary Travis was a reminder of the times they used to share together, when they were younger and looking for trouble as hot headed cadets. He also enjoyed the camaraderie with the five men whom Nathan called friends. He knew his friendship would one day be the reason he would not be returning to this office and taking up his role as Commander of the Cordoba base. It was an inevitability he would join them but it was for the oddest of reasons, not at all for the cause but for their friendship. For one who had spent most of his life alone, it was an unusual feeling.

Ezra picked up his beverage mug to take a sip when suddenly, his door chimed.

"Enter." He said without thinking, assuming it to be Claire who was no doubt here to appraise him on the progress of his new second in command. He sniggered inwardly as he wondered how the Lieutenant would have reacted to finding him gone upon her arrival, certainly it would put a severe crimp in her spying agenda.

However, it was not  Claire who entered his room. He found himself at the receiving end of a stare from powerful emerald colour eyes. Although she was wearing an Imperial uniform, her skin looked like fine white silk against her uniform. Her lips red and full, were pressed firmly in an expression of indifference hiding annoyance The Imperial cap hid her the style of her hair but Ezra spied red copper strands beneath the material. Ezra found himself thinking Vader played dirty by inducing him to work closely with such a beautiful female and wondered if it was the dark lord's plan for her to seduce him into giving away his secrets.

"Lieutenant Pemberton I assume?" 

"Yes Sir," she said coolly, no traces of the annoyance that gripped her when she arrived here to find him gone. Even more so after she had spent the last few days reviewing every bit of data in the outpost logs and found nothing to substantiate Vader's belief Ezra Standish was not acting in the interests of the Empire. "I am reporting for duty."

"Doing what exactly?" Ezra had no intention of being polite nor did he like those who were sent to spy on him. Using a woman and a beautiful one at that, was insulting as far as the captain was concerned. Ezra felt incensed Vader would think him sloppy enough to let his guard down simply because she was female. Obviously, Vader had never met Maude Standish or else he would know better.

"I am your second in command." She said stiffly.

"I had an able adjutant." Ezra responded. "Lieutenant Moseley has been acting in that capacity since I assumed command. However, since your appointment was done so without my say so and I have no choice but to tolerate you being here, I am certain we will be able to find  _something_  for you to do." He said smugly and took great delight in the surge of anger he saw igniting in her eyes.

"I am aware you don't want me here," Julia returned, feeling the restraints on her temper starting to slip. "However, I am here and I'm sure I can be of assistance to you if you just give me the opportunity."

"I suppose I could." He eased back into his chair and let his eyes drift over her as if she were a new specimen whose worthiness to retain he was attempting to discern. "What have you done while I was on my sabbatical?"

Julia stammered suddenly realizing he knew perfectly well her purpose here was and guessed she most spent her time checking up on everything he was doing since taking command. Nothing else had been undertaken in regards to the smooth operation of the outpost itself. The role she was supposed to fill in his absence was ignored because she had been too busy snooping. "I was familiarizing myself with the outpost and everything that has transpired until now."

"That kind of familiarization can wait until after you have taken care of the day to day operation of this outpost," Ezra moved in for the kill like as if he was about to lay a killer sabaac hand on the table for all to see. "My in tray indicates that none of this has been tended to." Just for effect, he reached into logs and reports requiring evaluation and picked up one. "This should have been your priority the moment you arrive on my base, not playing 'catch up' as it were. I expect such familiarization to take place in your spare time not during your duty hours."

"I was...." Julia tried to defend herself but Ezra was not about to let her get a word in.

"I expect a better level of performance while you are on my station Lieutenant," Ezra rose to his feet in full authoritative pose. "This is not the most glamorous posting in the Imperial sphere of influence but that does not excuse lacklustrer efforts. I will have no member of my station conducting themselves below the levels of excellence. If you are incapable of that, I will have you out of here so fast you would not feel the door hitting you on the way out. Do I make myself clear Lieutenant?"

Julia swallowed visibly. If she could not maintain her cover as his first officer than he had every right to transfer her out of here. There would be nothing Vader could do to prevent it unless he wanted to explain to the chain of command why an officer with a less than average efficiency rating should be allowed to remain in her post. As powerful as Vader was, there would be deep seeded resentment if the higher echelons of the Imperial fleet knew there spies planted in their midst, especially when there was no evidence linking them to any inappropriate behaviour.

"Yes Sir." Julia nodded. "Crystal clear."

"Good," Ezra sat down once again. "You are dismissed."

She wanted to say something further but the indignation she felt could not be allowed expression at this time. This was his arena and she would have to play by his rules. "Thank you Sir." She answered, hating herself for going quietly.

Ezra watched her leave and let a little smile cross lips when her back was to him.  _She was not going to last a week._

* * *

 

The first thing Alex became conscious of when she woke up was the smell.

It was sharp and acrid, bringing to mind definitive images of all things clinical and sterile. Even in the darkness of her slumber, that one smell was more telling than anything represented by a visual image. Alex immediately associated it with bright white lights and medtechs running up and down aisles in pristine white clothes, sticking temp meters down throats and hypos elsewhere. Disinfectant made her think of words like hygiene, medical droids and unwanted furloughs.

It made her think of hospitals.

Which was precisely where Alexandra Styles found herself when she finally woke up. She opened her eyes and found herself staring at a white ceiling above a bed whose sheets she was tucked comfortably within. For a moment, it all swirled in on her, consciousness that is. Once the room stopped spinning, he was able to focus a little more clearly on where she was. Alex tried to remember her last memory before waking up to find herself here. Glorith. Glorith and Vin. Vin had appeared out of nowhere. He had suddenly shown up and like some damn teenager, she had let the memory of a kiss allow an injury of this magnitude to be inflicted on herself!

Alex was beyond disgusted.

Instinctively, she looked beneath the covers of the clean sheets covering her body and examined her torso. Where she recalled seeing discoloured and broken flesh, there was now white gauze wrapped over the wound. The pain was still there but she was familiar enough with the sensation going through her body to know she had been given the medication to cope with it. The monitor next to her bed pumped nutrients into her veins. As she scanned the room ahead, she knew without question she was at the rebel base and let out a sigh of relief knowing they had made it back safely. Did they have Stephen? A thousand questions flooded through her mind and she sat up quickly.

"Hey, take it easy." Vin Tanner's voice suddenly spoke up and Alex turned to see him rising from the chair next to her bed where he had obviously been for some time, judging by the creases in his clothes.

"Where's Stephen?" She demanded quickly, not paying much attention to his warning until her attempt to sit up engendered pain and she was forced back into her bed.

"Now that's what happens when you don't listen." 

"Ah bite me." She grumbled.

"You kiss me with that mouth?" He looked at her with a smile.

"Not again," Alex returned  and then turned her attention to more serious matters. "Is Mary and Stephen okay?"

His expression changed and Alex knew immediately by the dimming light of those cobalt collared eyes he did not have good news to impart. "I'm sorry Alex, Stephen didn't make it."

"Damn." Alex swore softly as she turned away, not wanting Vin to see the tears forming in her eyes at that news. However, the truth was, she was not as hurt as she thought she would be even though hearing he was really dead saddened her. Alex was always more sceptical about his being alive than Mary. She mourned for her brother a year ago and accepted his death. It made little difference if he had died a few days or a year ago, Alex had moved on. "I hoped for Mary's sake that it might have turned out differently."

"It didn't," Vin answered, preferring to wait a little longer until giving her the whole story about Stephen's death. She was weak and had barely survived the trip back to the base despite Vin pushing the  _Tracker_  almost to breaking point to get there. Alex was unconscious for almost two days with Mary and Vin alternating as they kept a vigil by her bedside. Vin had taken over for Mary a few hours ago, wishing the commander to get some rest not only physically but the brutal beating her heart had taken over her husband's death.

"Is she alright?" Alex asked, wiping her tears as she turned to face Vin again.

"She looks okay but that's not saying much." Vin confessed. "Mary's a private person."

"She is," Alex agreed and also knew Mary would show nothing to those around her but suffer all her sorrows and grief alone in her quarters. "Everyone else get out okay? Casey?"

"Casey's fine," Vin answered quickly, finding himself more and more lost to her each time she spoke. "Josiah's grounded her for the next thousand years and I think she's going to kill JD before he can get shot down by an Imperial stormtrooper but she's okay."

"Is that the kid who's the peasant?" Alex asked weakly, finding her strength draining from her exertions since waking.

"That's him." Vin chuckled.

"So what are you doing here bounty hunter?" She asked with a little smile.

"I have a thing for leather." 

"Oh it must be like that thing I have for guys who can't even put their own light sabre together." She said sweetly.

"I'll get it done!" He said with exasperation. "By the way," he looked at her with an evil glint in his eyes "Why does Glorith think we're lovers?"

Alex felt her cheeks become flushed with embarrassment and cursed a thousand deaths on the reptilian wherever she was for letting _that_ slip to Vin. It did not help that he was grinning at her with a completely satisfied expression on his face. Taking a deep breath, Alex responded with complete dignity even though it was hard to do when he was enjoying himself so much. "I had to explain how I had your ship. It was a convenient excuse so get that stupid smirk off your face!"

"Convenient huh?" He laughed, taking great pleasure in her embarassement. "I personally think it was just wishful thinking."

Alex rolled onto her side and retorted. "Don't flatter yourself. It was just a kiss."

"Sure it was." Vin replied, not about to believe her if the tone of her voice was any indication. "That's why you were muttering about it in your sleep."

"What?" Alex turned over again and stared at him. "I did not!" She cried indignantly.

The expression of glee in his eyes told her otherwise and Alex conceded defeat. "Okay what if I did? I was delirious."

"Come on, you are crazy about me." He teased, enjoying her discomfort. In truth, she had made no such revelation in her slumber but she did not need to know that...

"I do not have the least bit of interest in you Vin Tanner." Alex growled. "Now get out of here! I'm sick and I need my rest."

"Sure," he pushed himself to his feet and headed towards the door but could not resist pausing to add, "I'm sure you want to go back to sleep so that you can dream about me again."

"OUT!" She barked with the sound of his laughter still in her ears.  

* * *

 

This time he was really gone.

She told herself that repeatedly throughout the entire day she had spent in her office, staring at the window, leaving the room long enough to make her checks on Alex's condition. As of yet, her best friend in the world had not come out of her surgery-induced sleep but Mary was assured knowing Vin would keep an eye on her during Mary's absence. Josiah and Nathan had advised her against going back to work immediately, citing she needed time to recuperate over what had happened. The Alliance had not been very happy about her actions and she had borne the brunt of stern dressing down by Mon Mothma but in light of her loss, the leader of the Alliance opted not to take the matter further. While she would have been perfectly justified in taking some time to herself, Mary could not abide hours of nothing to do where she would only be thinking of Stephen.

However, now that she was in her office, she was not working much either. Her thoughts inevitably drifted to Stephen and the work before her seemed to be far away and an unimportant. Instead, she spent a good deal of her day staring out her window, at the lush forests that made up the landscape even though none it registered in her mind because it was Stephen she was mostly seeing. She thought of how he looked at those last moments of life, the happiness in his eyes at being allowed to see her just once more before he died and felt herself weeping all over again. She went through this process numerous times throughout the day and it did not seem like stopping any time soon.

"Mary." She heard Chris's voice at the door and was not certain she wanted to speak to anyone for a moment but then she remembered Chris had been there for her these last few days and she could not deny him entry even if she tried. He meant too much for her to do that to him.

"Come in." She said quietly and turned her chair to face the door.

When the door slid open Mary could only stare for a second as she saw the Jedi standing there next to her son Billy.

"Billy!" Mary exclaimed, unable to believe he was there. Tears ran down her cheeks again but this time there were tears of happiness instead of regret and loss. After what had happened at Star's End, seeing him was like an infusion of sunshine into her darkened soul, still bleeding from its wounds.

"Mommy!" Billy ran forward across the floor into her waiting arms and Mary picked him up, hardly noticing he was heavier than she last remembered.

Chris watched Mary's reunion with her son and found a small smile creeping into his face at her happiness. She had been so sad since their return from Star's End it broke his heart every time he saw her. Thus he and Josiah concocted the idea of having Billy brought here for a little visit. Buck had volunteered to take the ship to Bakura in order to bring the boy to the rebel base because he was just the tonic Mary needed at this moment. Seeing her with him, seemed to indicate it was the right decision.

Mary turned to Chris, still holding Billy in her arms as he approached her.

"How?" She asked, a grateful smile on her face.

"Josiah thought you could use a visit." Chris said softly.

Mary nodded as she came forward and planted a kiss on his cheek, certain he had a bit to do with this as well. "Thank you."

Chris stared at her a moment, feeling a little unbalanced at the sensation produced by the soft silk of her lips against his skin. For a moment, he thought his head was swimming. "My pleasure," he said after a moment. "I only wanted to see you smile."

Mary did not speak and rewarded him with another.  

 

* * *

Vin Tanner sat down in front of the half-assembled light sabre and took a deep sigh. This time, he was not going to stop until he completed its construction. He had also left explicit instructions unless the entire Imperial fleet led by Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader had come calling, he did not want to be interrupted. Closing his eyes, he took a moment to reach a state of calm and focus before reaching over for the tool needed to begin work.

His gaze shifted briefly to the window near his workbench and he admired the beauty of the stars beyond the walls of the  _Tracker_ , not to mention the iridescent jewel of Siraj 3 in the distance. His ship was presently in orbit around the planet home to the rebel base and would remain in place until he finished building his light sabre. Vin turned away from the panoramic view of space and focussed his attention on the task once more with only one thought in his mind;

_The things a man had to do to get some peace and quiet._

   
  
 **THE END**


End file.
